The dramatic changes of the melting glaciers and permafrost in the age of the Anthropocene are addressed in the installation Melting – the show must go on! It refers to the enormous energy consumption of the computers and server farms used globally. The internet, the sum of all Google or ChatGPT search queries or Bitcoin mining consumes considerable power and generates waste heat.
The components used in the work originate from computer cooling technology, but here they are used to create ice on a metal plate, which is suddenly melted after a certain time. Through a camera, the slow nature-imitative event is projected as a video image that is aesthetically and acoustically transformed with spherical soundscapes, which were generated from the electromagnetic emissions of the apparatus itself.
Melting–the show must go on! / Michel Winterberg (CH), Photo: Michel Winterberg
The title the show must go on! is also an indication of the persistent forces of consumerist behavior. How quickly can or will mankind be able to adapt its lifestyles?
Credits
Presented with the kind support of the Swiss Arts Council Pro Helvetia.
Michel Winterberg (CH)
Michel Winterberg works with interactive video and sound installations, mixed media and animatronic elements. He understands interactive dialogue as an interplay between materiality, mediality and people, involving himself as a participant. His work often deals with the relationship between people, the environment and technology.
