80º N by Gibson/Martelli

13 Dec 2014-8 Feb 2015

Overview

80º N brings together a series of works which sit in the divide between historical and personal narratives in a search for the geographical North Pole. In it’s attention to the expansive frozen lands and seas of ice, the exhibition contemplates the overwhelming might of nature, it’s beauty and it’s vulnerability. Through human endeavour and scientific enquiry the planet has been conquered, all discovered - the Pole was reached over a century ago and now cruise ships navigate the North West Passage, tourism replacing exploration. Drawing from heroic exploits and classical representations of the natural world, Gibson/Martelli invite the viewer to contemplate the Arctic from a first-person perspective. Employing immersive techniques from virtual reality and video games, the viewer’s panoramic gaze is transformed by individual agency. In these spaces science & fiction merge, addressing the position of the self in relation to nature and technology -imagined & experienced views of place where invention & memory collide. http://www.gibsonmartelli.com/