From Confinement To Confinement

2022

9 x 9-inch monitors, SD cards, HD videos, loop

Composed by 9 small monitors, this piece is part of The Bonding project, which consisted on a 2,5 years relationship with a group of salmon, while being farmed at the Institute of Marine Research in Matre, Norway. 

 

When not engaged in direct on-site interaction documented on 16mm film, both salmon and human were able to observe one another periodically through an underwater webcam and monitor installed in our respective environments—the tank and the studio—creating an additional layer of documentation.

 

The COVID pandemic, unfolding during this process, prompted a deep reflection on the shared experience of confinement—both human and salmon. It also profoundly influenced the project’s development and content: travel restrictions led to trip cancellations and denied entries, the forced elimination of fry, and lockdown conditions that mirrored each other on both sides.

 

Starting with the placement of 100 eggs in the hatchery, this selection of virtual meetings between Berlin (Germany) and Matre (Norway) are presented in a way so that one can see the whole lifespan of the salmon in a single moment.

 

Trailer available here

 

Supported by KORO – Public Art Norway and the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and Media in the programme NEUSTART KULTUR, Module D – Digital Mediation Formats.

 

  • – Production: Michelle-Marie Letelier & Carlos Vasquez
    – Technical assistance: Carlos Vasquez & Carlo Crovato
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  • Exhibited at:
    – 2022-2023, Transhemisferia solo show, Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende, Santiago, Chile
  • – 2025-2026, Transhemispheria solo show, Hå Gamle Prestegard, Nærbø, Norway
Installation view, Hå Gamle Prestegard, Nærbø, Norway, 2025-2026. Photo credits: Erik Sæter Jørgensen
Installation view, MSSA - Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende, Santiago, Chile, 2022-2023. Photo credits: Benjamín Matte - MSSA