Geomancers Screening
When: at 17:30 on Wednesday 5 October 2022
Where: Finnkino Maxim, auditorium 2, Kluuvikatu 1, Helsinki
Free admission, limited number of seats
Information about the screening >>
Films will be screened in the order below with approximate times
17:30 Welcoming words / Executive director and curator Paula Toppila, IHME Helsinki
17:40 MARTHA ATIENZA: Panangatan 11°09’53.3”N 123°42’40.5”E 2019-10-24 Thu 6:42 am pst 1.29 meters high tide, 2019-10-12 sat 10:26 am pst 1.40 meters high tide 2019, 9 min
The short cut of a mesmerizing 307-minute long video, Martha Atienza’s work is a coastal circumnavigation of Panangatan, a small island off the shores of Bantanyan Island, at the centre of the Philippines. Panangatan is the crucible of an ongoing dispute between local communities, profit-driven development, and the government’s fluctuating environmental politics. In this experimental film Atienza captures the brunt of sea level rise and profit-driven development on small island communities in the Philippines. Devoid of narrative and sound the film lays bare the state of dilapidation and disrepair fishermen villages are struggling with due to anthropogenic changes.
The artistic practice of Martha Atienza (b. 1981, Philippines) documents and questions issues of environmental change, displacement, cultural loss, and socioeconomic disparities, often addressing the complex reality of Bantayan Island, the place of origin of her family. Strongly collaborative in nature, her artworks prompt a critical understanding of the impact of development on human and natural ecosystems through videos, immersive installations, and community engagement projects. They have been featured in numerous international exhibitions such as the Honolulu Biennial, United States (2019); Taipei Biennial, Taiwan (2018–19); and Mercosul Biennial, Brazil (2018). In 2017, Atienza was awarded the Baloise Art Prize at Art Basel. She was Artist-in-Residence at NTU CCA Singapore in 2018.