The Story of Erath

2018

HD video, sound, 13’ 30’’

The Story of Erath is a monologue for a woman’s voice set on the Portuguese ocean shore.

The voiceover is based on my conversations with Portuguese geologist Liliana Póvoas. It speaks about the passion for science and life, and about a subjective, almost animistic approach to time and the Earth – therein under a made-up mythical name “Erath”.
With a latent connection to geology, the narrative is analogous to the geological sediments of Earth. Layers of real and fictional stories, quotes from literature, fragments of overheard conversations or my own personal observations all come together within the background of a ceaseless repetition of the ocean tides.

...

The Ocean.
We want to feel the rhythm, even those who don’t feel anything anymore, even those who stand outside and look at their phones to see
what’s the weather like today, want to feel the rhythm, feel the rhythm.
Even those who are on that huge ship behind me,
those who don’t feel the air and the waves can feel the rhythm, believe me. They feel it but they cannot recognize it. Not anymore.
But their water and their salt, the water and the salt of their bodies rise and swing to the rhythm.
Does the Ocean feel like leaving its bowl?
I think sometimes it does.
One day the Ocean will leave its bowl and say: I’ve had enough. You screwed up.
(an excerpt from the video voiceover)

(Installation shots by JPS Undercover)