a solo exhibition, Contemporary Space, Varna 2014
What if… is an exhibition that looks at our near and distant future. Will humans cope with climate change? Will we discover alternative energy sources to replace oil? Will we travel to new worlds? Will our dependence on computers increase? These are some of the themes that Albena Baeva explores with two interactive installations, The Last Benjamin and Prime Radiant. The two installations are united by their common look ahead to possible and probable futures.
The relationship between human and environment is at the centre of The Last Benjamin. The installation brings together a modified exercise bike and a Benjamin ficus, which are linked in a visual metaphor for human influence on the plant world. Audience participation is key to the impact of this interactive installation. Thanks to the viewers’ efforts and their physical strength, which is transformed into sweat, the last Benjamin has a chance to get the moisture it needs to live and survive.
What does the near future hold? What awaits us in 25, 50 or 100 years? Will awareness of global threats change the course of history? In the installation Primal Radiant, the artist offers a series of drawings that recreate several different perceptions of the near and distant future. The name of the installation is borrowed from Isaac Asimov’s books – a primary radiant machine that calculates and predicts the future using mathematical equations and big data. The drawings are coded, so the message only becomes visible if the audience actively looks for it. Like the children’s game Connect the Dots, visitors uncover the artist’s original painting while creating their own version. This is how the collective imagination paints the future for us.
photo credit: Contemporary Space and Albena Baeva
