Art
2022
Sébastien Robert
Back-and-forth
After a research residency in Vlieland, Sébastien Robert discovered that a powerful electromagnetic signal crosses the island in 20 minutes at irregular intervals – but according to a ritual schedule – before it disappears into silence again. This signal turned out to be a weatherfax (or WEFAX), a weather map transmitted via radio waves sent from Hamburg. This seemingly outdated technology, used since the forties to share information with ships at sea and isolated places, is inspired by the work of the Dutch cartographer and meteorologist Nicolas Kruik (1678-1754). Born in what is now the disappeared West-Vlieland, he was the first to graphically present weather data and introduced symbols that can be considered precursors to current weather maps.
His new work Back-and-forth will take the form of a generative installation that will respond to the incoming weather fax, decode it, and draw in the sand of Vlieland before it gets overwritten again. In addition to the literal visualization of the data being sent, the island itself will have the opportunity to express itself during the creation process: the sand surface will change over time depending on temperature, humidity, and wind variations. The project offers a critical look at our Cartesian desire to permanently predict the future, in contrast to the unpredictable reality of the island, as Sébastien has experienced during his visits. The result is the creation of an ever-evolving abstract cartography and archive, materialized through a dialogue between technology and the forces of nature.
About Sébastien
Sébastien Robert (1993) is a French interdisciplinary artist and researcher who graduated cum laude from the ArtScience (MA) program at the Royal Conservatory of The Hague (KC) in 2020. He develops a practice at the intersection of visual and sound art, technology, scientific, and ethnographic research.
Most of his work revolves around the research cycle You're no Bird of Paradise, through which he studies endangered rituals and music. In addition to simple documentation, his research focuses on translating the studied sounds and rituals into lasting, tangible artworks made from materials that reflect the traditions of the communities of the people he meets and the geographic specificities of the areas he explores. Unlike the current Western-oriented recording media (vinyl, tape, digital files) that have a limited lifespan, Sébastien creates hybrid works that bring different physical and temporal scales into our perception, zooming in on the diversity of the world we inhabit.
Sébastien's work was recently shown at 5020 (Salzburg, AT), MU ArtSpace (Eindhoven, NL), and Global Seed Vault (Svalbard, NO), and he performed at various internationally recognized festivals such as Rewire (The Hague, NL), Organik (Hualien, TW), and Mirage (Lyon, FR).
Sébastien Robert - https://sebastienrobert.nl/
