21 FEBRUARY - 11 MAY 2024
How do we negotiate the gulf between the scale of a human life and nature’s vast timeline?
It’s hard to orientate ourselves in infinite time and space. When existential fear sets in, we retract, grounding ourselves in a more tangible world.
Material things help us cope with difficult questions, but we’re responsible for the effects that our reliance on them is having on the future habitability of our planet. Our encounters with nature are increasingly controlled and manufactured, yet we’re asked to imagine living life on the moon, on Mars, or in outer, distant destinations of the universe.
The Overview Effect is the term given to the cognitive shift experienced by some astronauts when viewing the Earth from space. They report unexpected emotions, an overwhelming sense of beauty, and an increased feeling of connection to other people and the Earth as a whole.
From February– May 2024, moving image works by artists Tang Han, Ruth Waters and Rachel Rose displayed in the Science Gallery London will explore ideas around our time on Earth, offering a shift in perspective through their depictions of the natural world.
The works - never before exhibited in the UK - will be shown one at a time, for one month each. Alongside each artwork, a series of related events will give you the chance to connect with the artists, learn about their practice, and find out about related research taking place at King’s College London.
Image: Ginkgo and Other Times by Tang Han courtesy of the artist