First Blossoming of a Lava-Fuelded Consciousness

"First Blossoming of a Lava-Fuelded Consciousness" is a sculptural and sound installation featuring two characters, K and M. These two protagonists are prototypes of the Tree-Radio-Antenna hybridised with pyrophyte plants. Like fire lilies, these dead trees have regenerated thanks to a volcanic flow that destroyed everything in its path. The trees are made up of wooden structures that oscillate between industrial objects and organic matter, as well as rocky capsules/seeds like the mineral aspect of soil after a volcanic explosion. Lying in the middle of an ashen-grey desert landscape, reminiscent of the inside of lava tunnels, K and M have been lying for who knows how many years. "Voices from beyond the ashes. Just as seashells carry the sound of the ocean, if we put the hollowed-out seeds of pyrophytic plants to our ears, they will tell us about the interior of the volcano". Voices emerge from the seeds of the trees, bringing K and M to life in a crescendo of sound. As if fossilised in lava, the Untermeyer’s Brain (snowglobes 1 & 2) pieces act as memory cards, recalling the different narrative layers of the projects; a plastic interpretation of Donna Haraway’s concept of the Thick Present. K and M are references to the French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who dedicated their lives to the study of volcanoes, a vocation that led to their deaths in June 1991 during the explosive eruption of Mount Unzen in Japan. For this installation, SHIFT is collaborating with artist Emilie Lachaume on the creation of a sound piece for the project, and with Luna Lambert, Paul Perrucon and Blanche Taddei on the production of an editorial object to accompany the installation.