In the fourth pop-up exhibition of the series CREATIVE CLIMATE CARE in cooperation with the University of Applied Arts Vienna, artist Martina Menegon presents a an algorithmically controlled live simulation, a real-time generated virtual reality, in a spatial installation.
Titled when you are close to me I shiver, the video takes place in a dystopian version of the future in which humans, out of desperation, gather in masses on the last remaining piece of land. As every square inch is occupied, some try to find space away from the crowds, up on the cliffs, where hundreds of humans fall from heights they should never have scaled.
The apocalyptic images and experiences confront us with a seemingly surreal scene that is all too real—a reflection of the current culture of distance and a reminder of the limited capacity of our living habitat. The work thus responds to both ecological and socio-cultural impacts in the context of the current climate and health crisis.