Lithos/Pathos explores the confluence of the contemporary geopolitical, social, technological and aesthetic dimensions of Lithium, the rare metal at the epicenter of the clean energy debate.
Lithos/Pathos: XCX, 2024. single-channel 4k video. Runtime 20 Minutes
From the presentation of the lithium-laced crystals, the soundtrack derived from sounds from both deep within the physical crystal itself, and cosmic noise, or background radiation from deep space—where some of the crystals originated from—as well as the hyper-detailed and macro 360 degree visuals, the project aims to embody the crystals as living entities, givers of life and power, and creatures in their own right. It affords viewers a more tangible, less abstract connection to the materials and processes involved in clean energy and specifically the mining of rare metals such as lithium. The idea of lithium crystals and the role they play in extractivist economics is different than the physical form of lithium crystals, of the landscapes transformed by mining, and of the inhabitants of the mining and processing sites.
By conducting research and producing artistic gestures, Lithos/Pathos aimes to map out the stakes in the imminent clean energy transition by looking at the unique convergence of the neo-colonial urges of the West, Silicon Valley as a site of far-right and left political tempest, extractivist economies, technocratic optimism, virtual and IRL activist strategies, and the spread of political fiction on social media platforms.
Project elements include documents of the physical sites of Lithium mining and processing, interviews with activists, indigineous peoples, and economic stakeholders, land surveys, critical analysis of social, political, and aesthetic/material implications of Lithium.
Lithos/Pathos: XCX, 2024. single-channel 4k video. Runtime 20 Minutes
Logos Liguri: A Metaphysical Debate, 2023. Single channel 4k video. Italian with English Subtitles. Running time 20 minutes. Score Aaron Lepley
Logos Liguri documents the agricultural, social and literary history of the Ligurian region of Italy. Logos Liguri combines philosophy, science, and the occult with footage of the region using extra-human vision systems. Created by Davey Whitcraft and Francesco Cassissa.
The Altogether Now, 2022. 42 x 74 Inches. Single channel 4k video with stereo audio, 4 Minutes running time. Score Aaron Lepley.
The Altogether Now explores the Northern California coastline, proposing an alternative landscape that oscillates between the natural and artificial, transfiguring physical boundaries.
Metaphysical Supplements I, 2022. 42 x 74 Inches. Single channel 4k video with 5 Channel audio, 3 Minutes running time. Score Aaron Lepley.
Metaphysical Supplements I is composed of more than 100,000 frames from a Generative AI trained on landscape images. This work navigates ‘terra non-firma’ and is the outcome of asking an algorythm to ‘daydream’ about landscapes.
Love Right Now, 2022. Custom hardware, software and LED lighting. Running time 39 Minutes. Sound design and score Aaron Lepley.
Love Right Now deploys mechanisms that capture ambient sounds from supersensible sources such as local wi-fi signals and other radio signals from beyond.
Suppléments Métaphysiques, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 60 x 60 inches, 1/1.
Looking at the Sky, solo show Themes+Projects, San Francisco, California, 2023.
We have been trained to be expectant of dense and neverending news and information feeds, there is no rest from this, we exhaust our energy to try and make sense...
As an antidote to the contemporary mode of constant and rational information flow...
Operationalizing the atmospheric characteristics of a scene into a meditative format...
Borrowing research methods from (an)archeology, these works excavate spatial-temporal ‘core-samples’ or ‘color signatures’ revealing a more unconscious, affective characteristic of various so-called ‘Sites of Accumulation’ — places with high concentrations of psychological, economic, material, or political energy.
Parler à Léon Mort, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 48 x 48 inches, 1/1.
Nord-ouest Pacifique, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 36 x 36 inches, 1/1.
The Altogether Now II, 2022. Color Photograph on dibond panel. 48 x 48 inches, 1/1.
Noorderlicht, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 48 x 48 inches, 1/1.
Tonnerre Est, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 48 x 48 inches, 1/1.
La Calamité, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 36 x 36 inches, 1/1.
Terre de Médiation Falaise, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 36 x 36 inches, 1/1.
Noorderlicht Deux, 2022. Color photograph on dibond panel. 48 x 48 inches, 1/1.
Below: Installation views, Looking at the Sky, 2023, Solo Exhibition at Themes+Projects Gallery, Minnesota Street Projects, San Francisco, California.
Series Chromatikó Topío, 2022
Compiled from video stills and photographs from sky images during the global pandemic.
Coucher le Soleil dans le Danube, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2022. 48 x 48 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Voir Dans le Futur, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2022. 48 x 48 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Humuhumunukunukuapua'a, Hawaii, 2022. 48 x 48 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
L'Ukraine Espoir, 2022. 48 x 48 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Marcher Sur le Danube, Novi Sad, Serbia, 2022. 48 x 48 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Monumenta Encinal del Temescal I, Oakland, California, 2022. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Monumenta Encinal del Temescal II, Oakland, California, 2022. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Monumenta Encinal del Temescal III, Oakland, California, 2022. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Monumenta Encinal del Temescal IV, Oakland, California, 2022. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Monumenta Encinal del Temescal V, Oakland, California, 2022. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
La Douleur Exquise, Willows, California, 2021. 60 x 60 Inches, Color photograph, 1/1.
Inquiries contact Themes + Projects Gallery