Buenavista

How does technology filter our perception of nature? What forms of life shall take root in such mediated landscapes? Can we envision an ecological consciousness in silica?

Curated by philosopher of nature Dr. Dehlia Hannah, the exhibition Buenavista dramatizes the transformation of ideas of nature in the 21^st century.

Conceived as an immersive installation Buenavista brings together five existing and newly commissioned works that, in different ways, probe our sense of place in a more-than-human world.

Bathed in red, green, and blue light, the exhibition approximates the inner realm of a digital device that senses the world through the Bayer color filter array.

A poetic incantation intoned by electronic voices resonates through the space.

In this otherworldly soundscape, plants, stones, and machines seem to dance and stir to consciousness, inviting us to question our perceptions.

In the center of the gallery space and if hidden in secret contemplation, the animated video Buenavista appears to be turned away from the visitor’s gaze. On screen, the dramas of a robotic unconscious unfold, as an emergent life form seeks an ecological niche within a chaotic assemblage of digital environments. In the delirium of its search for the beautiful view, we may recognize the traces of our own desires.

– Dehlia Hannah