Seminar:
Speculative Ecologies

The group exhibition and its accompanying interdisciplin- ary public program delves into the myriad imaginaries sur- rounding Bouvet Island; a remote, uninhabited landmass in the southern Atlantic Ocean, under Norwegian sovereignty and recognized as the most isolated island on Earth. Situ- ated just north of the Antarctic Treaty’s 60-degree latitude boundary, the island raises questions of sovereignty and geopolitical intentions on the outskirts of a continent often designated as one of international peace and scientific co- operation. From conspiracy theories to alien lore in popular culture, the island emerges entangled in narratives of scien- tific expeditions, uncharted histories and the unknown.

As a speculative successor of the last Bouvet Island re- search station, the group exhibition gathers visual artists and researchers within a transdisciplinary framework in order to navigate, explore and question the multiple imaginaries of Bouvet. In two thematic seminars, and as part of the exhibition’s public program, we invite researchers into the gallery to present their work in conversation with the artistic contributions, bringing in disciplines from the hu- manities, geography, oceanography and maritime law, as well as screenings of artistic research works. During these two instances, the seminars will first explore the (to some extent) grounded realities of Bouvet Island and secondly, its relation to further remote imaginaries and the myths that gather around places beyond reach.