Details
Atmospheres Deep is a multimedia group exhibition presented by SUPERCOLLIDER at the San Luis Obispo Museum of Art. Fifteen featured artists and scientists utilize film, soundscapes, biomaterials, artificial intelligence, modular painting, and collaborative weaving to communicate the resilience of marine biodiversity in the face of our ecological impact.
The exhibition delves into the stratified layers of each water column—such as surface tension, branching rivers, tidal, and benthic zones of life—to demonstrate the interconnectedness of all water bodies. Atmospheres Deep is an urgent response to the climate crisis: these artworks constitute a cultural and scientific reawakening necessary to address environmental rehabilitation after micro- and macro-ecosystem collapses. Advocating for the symbiotic relationship of healthy waterways, this exhibition aims to rekindle the relationship of people and cultures to the oceanic and atmospheric interface of land and sea.
SUPERCOLLIDER creates immersive science + art experiences—including (inter)nationally curated satellites for pop-ups, festivals, and research institutes—that vividly reclaim our future and explore our present. Their mission is to drive persistent conversation about the future of our home planet.
This exhibition is guest curated by Richelle Gribble and Emma Akmakdijan.
Related Programming:
2nd Saturdays: Stop by SLOMA’s lawn on Saturday, July 10 between 11 AM and 1 PM to pick up an Atmospheres Deep Gallery on the Go activity box. The Paint the Sea with Seaweed art activity invites artists of all ages to paint sea creatures or an ocean landscape on a postcard. Fish, corals, and other sea life, are draw with crayons and the blue ocean is filled in with Spira algae pigment, mixed by hand in the provided dish. Spira algae also makes an appearance in Atmospheres Deep in the artwork Miscible Interactions, the living tank inside the exhibition. Once artists have made their ocean scene, they can write a note about what they love most about the ocean and send their message through the mail to a friend. The activity asks participants to take into consideration the ways in which materials can be repurposed to avoid waste, including how sustainable materials can be incorporated into art making. All materials included in the Gallery on the Go box, including the box itself, are recyclable or reusable.
Panel Discussion: Art, Climate, and the Ocean is an online panel discussion exploring the role of art in the climate crisis. Featuring Atmospheres Deep artists Courtney Mattison, Christine Wertheim, and Maru Garcia in conversation with Benjamin Ruttenberg, PhD, Associate Professor and Director of the Center for Coastal Marine Sciences at Cal Poly. The panel was moderated by the exhibition’s Guest Curator Emma Akmakdjian and artist Isabel Beavers. The recorded discussion is available to view for free by clicking here.
Banner Images: Stephen Ehret, Waves of Green, polymer glazes over graphite rendering, 2016, 30 x 48 x 1.5 in. and Elena Soterakis, Co Genesis: New Sea Morphologies, oil on panel, 2021, 9 panels, 16 x 16 x 1.5 in.
Atmospheres Deep is presented thanks to these generous sponsors: