Reflections on Ephemeral Presence

My first impressions of Jeungdo’s scenery were the different shades of soil – from luminescent red over beige to dark gray earth. The variety of colors on the agricultural fields where farmers cultivate rice, garlic, onions, chili and sesame leaves was endless and stunning. A sweet breeze of rice and seawater was in the air. The landscape is shaped by hundreds of salt fields. They create a vast surface for reflecting the sunlight and enable the seawater to evaporate over time – a slow and fascinating process by natural forces. The presence of time is omnipresent in Jeungdo through the high and low tide, exposing the hidden life of animals in the mudflat. My stay was coined by deceleration and recollection towards the significance of balance in our tearing pace world. I reflected about the cycles of nature and the rhythms of life as well as my own presence – the balance in and between entities. The rhythm of the tidal forces slowly started to influence my life on the island. A constant alteration of coming and going, presence and absence. My feelings fluctuated, aligned with the movement of the sea level.

The exhibition draws from my impressions and experiences during my stay at this artist residency. Reflections on Ephemeral Presence is an interpretation of the site-specific characteristics and the landscape of Jeungdo. As my field of interest is the artistic exploration of natural materials that surround me, I thought of the main resources of Jeungdo: soil and seawater. Both of them are highly valuable and fundamental components of the island life that coin the everyday routines of the locals. The earth provides fertile soil for agriculture and the seawater has an immersive importance concerning the salt production and fishing industry. I approached my new environment through artistically investigating local materials. Thus I found a variety of different clays on Jeungdo: close by the salt fields, on the beach, next to the road and in the mud flat. By dealing with site-specific materials in my works I aim to create a connection and expanded view towards our direct surroundings.

The work consists of installations and multimedia works that emphasize the dynamic and ephemeral state in landscapes and nature. Many elements that comprise a landscape are exposed to a constant state of change. Thus vibrant reflections of light on a water surface, earth traces and-structures, soil properties or the dynamic movement of the tidal forces are not uncommon phenomena. In relation to our own physical existence the exhibition is accompanied by a sound work, the record of my breath.
All works not only remind of the ephemeral presence of materiality, but aim to capture these brief stages of being. Which unfolds a slight feeling of orientation as well as grounding in the present moment through matter.