Then the Sky Turned Deaf Trying to Listen to the Rain
STRASBOURG, PARC DE LA PETITE ORANGERIE
Within the framework of VITAL, European cooperation project
Since 18 September 2023, Klitsa Antoniou’s Viridian Chronicles ison view in the Petite Orangerie park in the heart of Strasbourg’s Robertsau district.
Committed and symbolic, the work of the Cypriot artist is an overture to ecological awareness and the action of Man on his direct environment.
It is a black charred volume, an allegory of a lump of coal under the microscope, surrounded by 2 white façades as if spared by the fire. A metaphor for the catastrophic fires that are sweeping our planet and threatening our very existence. These façades are also invaded by living plants, making a creative contribution to the finished piece. The installation is conceived as a corridor in which spectators can move around. As they walk through it, they trigger the sound of rain and become the actors in the work, as if to show that they are the cause of, but also potentially the solution to, climate change.
At the beginning of July 2021, the worst fire Cyprus has ever seen ravaged the Mediterranean island’s forests. It was at this time that the artist began thinking about a committed installation on environmental issues, which would later become part of the VITAL project.
Conceived as a journey to the heart of environmental fears, Klitsa Antoniou’s installation offers a sequence of dynamic perspectives and thought-provoking experiences. Visitors move from a bright and vibrant outdoor encounter to a darker, introspective experience.
“I considered that if the viewer could participate in the work, they could realise the fear and danger of our future caused by climate change.”
Collaborators:
Project Coordinator Sozita Goudouna
Architecture Design Annita Koutsonanou
Technological Design and Project Coordination George Lazoglou