Studio Visit

The multimedia installation “mangan gardens” by Janis Polar artistically examines historical and current deep-sea mining expeditions to extract manganese nodules in the Pacific. These mineral aggregates grow on the seabed over millions of years and contain valuable metals that are turned into resources for modern technologies and media art. Janis Polar combines earlier extraction experiments from the 1970s with today’s processes, drawing on documentary, scientific and pop-cultural material from various archives (including GEOMAR – Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel, BGR). In a mode reminiscent of science fiction, the installation discursively explores perspectives on deep-sea mining and more-than-human issues, creating its own visual and media aesthetic of the deep-sea seabed.

Antarctica is often portrayed as “pure nature”, but is clearly situated in the context of colonial history and geopolitics. The work “ēchō chambers un/exposed” moves between science and fiction, covering the period from the controversial “discovery” of the continent to 2048, when the Antarctic Treaty is due to be renewed. Janis Polar uses images from the 1970s to the present day, including scientific data and documents as well as his own recordings taken in 2020 during a commissioned trip to Antarctica. The work explores neglected histories of Antarctica and connects them with ideas of (over)technologisation and more-than-human resistance.

In conversation, Janis Polar explores questions of materiality, accessibility and his own position as an artist in the entanglements of technology and ecology. The subsequent aperitif will provide an opportunity for further dialogue.

The event is part of the «Swiss Photomonth Extended» programme, curated by Rahel Christen.