About Clouds
2024 -
The artistic research deals with the exploration of weather phenomena and changes. The research began in 2024, primarily through lay observation of events in the sky and through the collection of information via conversations and collaborations with workers at meteorological stations. Observing the sky as an encounter between the observer and the one who tracks and documents changes using analog instruments. From Luke Howard’s drawings, Turner’s paintings, and the first meteorological symbols, to contemporary technology that often replaces the human observer—satellites, sensors, and automated recordings create a new kind of observation and representation. In contrast to the idea of a romantic gaze toward the sky and clouds, this year’s research focuses on learning how global warming alters clouds and why this could lead to extreme weather conditions. We observe the sky with awe and apprehension, in anticipation of what is to come unfolding across different temporal scales: geological, meteorological, and social.
The project is carried out as a co-authorship by Neža Knez and Vida Guzmić, with occasional collaboration with artist Lara Raichmann and meteorologist Vladimir Đurđević from Belgrade.
In collaboration with Vida Guzmić, Lara Reichmann and Vladimir Đurđević
Production: Studio Pangolin, Cirkulacija2
Co-production: Zavod Cona
Supported by: Ministry of Culture Slovenija, Ministry of Culture Croatia, City of Zagreb, City of Ljubljana
In collaboration: Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ), Slovenian Environment Agency (ARSO)
Thanks: Project space DUM, Studio Pangolin, Academy of Fine Arts Zagreb (new media), Ivan Slipčević, Blaž Šter, Blaž Gasparini, Croatian Meteorological and Hydrological Service (DHMZ
We are interested in superstitions related to human influence on weather and the application of military technologies to, in this case, cloud development, as well as in new forecasting technologies. Through the collaboration with Đurđević, the project integrates scientific input into its elements. Fragments of lay observations and records of the impact of geological changes on everyday life meet professional attempts to offer answers, ranging from weather forecasting to questions of the overall sustainability of life on the planet. In this context, interdisciplinarity is not a space for the promotion of science, but a shared reflection on fragility, responsibility, and the imbalance of the conditions in which we live.
We are interested in instability, unpredictability, and the reflection of these uncertainties on everyday life and the future. Formally, we introduce elements at the margins. Just as errors occur within systems, we apply a similar approach to the aesthetic elements of the work. The continuation of the research and the production of materials strives toward a multimedia performance and installations in which images, voices, objects and sounds bring together materials through poetics that overlap the scientific, the everyday, and the chaotic.
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