In October 2012, interdisciplinary artist Sarah Cameron Sunde witnessed the devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy in New York City. The storm took 44 lives in the city alone, temporarily displaced thousands of residents, and inflicted an estimated $19 billion in damages and lost economic activity. Struck by the vulnerability of her once seemingly indestructible city, Sunde began to develop “36.5 / A Durational Performance with the Sea” the following year.
The project started as a poetic response to the catastrophic weather event, but “36.5” has since evolved into an ongoing series of site-specific participatory performances and works of video art. On the shores of six continents over seven years so far, Sunde stands in ocean water for a full tidal cycle (12 to 13 hours), allowing herself to be nearly immersed in the rising waters until they recede once again. The entire process is filmed in real-time from multiple perspectives and later turned into a durational work that premieres as a multi-channel video installation at the site of performance.
The project’s website explains the artist’s reasoning behind her process: “Climate change can seem abstract because it is happening too slowly to be perceived by humans on a daily basis. 36.5 invites participants to slow down, observe, experience and consider the impact of sea-level rise by putting their own bodies in direct relationship with the water.”
On September 19, the Georgia Museum of Art launched its exhibition dedicated to Sunde’s work so visitors can experience the process themselves. It features a cycle of four three-channel videos of performances in the Netherlands (on view September 19 – October 18, 2020), Bangladesh (on view October 22 – November 22, 2020), Brazil (on view November 26 – December 20, 2020) and Kenya (on view December 24, 2020 – January 17, 2021).
The museum’s curator of American art, Jeffrey Richmond-Moll, says “36.5” prompts viewers to reconsider our relationship with water as a species: “With the longstanding impact of hurricanes across the American South and the rising waters in coastal cities like Charleston, South Carolina, Sunde’s video works remind us once again of the fragility of our relationship with the ocean.”
The exhibition is accompanied by several related events. The museum will livestream each of Sunde’s performances for 24 hours near the close of their month-long run at the museum, with the first scheduled for this Wednesday, October 14, beginning at 9 a.m.. “We’re returning the exhibition to the natural cycles from which Sunde’s project takes inspiration by allowing the 12-to-13-hour process to stream for a full day. The resilience, endurance and perseverance represented in this cycle is central to her work, and we wanted to give viewers the full experience of that,” said Richmond-Moll.
Cosponsored by UGA’s Willson Center for the Humanities and Arts, the museum is also hosting “Water, Immersion, and Community in Sarah Cameron Sunde’s ‘Durational Performance with the Sea,’” an online artist and panel discussion on November 19 at 1 p.m. (register at https://zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_avZsL06kQBKcSQwiLcJ8Rg). Along with Sunde, panelists include Michael Marshall, associate director of curriculum, director of the social ecology studio and professor of art, Lamar Dodd School of Art, UGA; Stephen Ramos, associate professor at the College of Environment and Design, UGA; Samantha B. Joye, Athletic Association Professor in Arts and Sciences in the Department of Marine Sciences, UGA; and Matthew Burtner, Eleanor Shea Professor of Music (Composition & Computer Technologies), the University of Virginia.
In addition, the museum’s December Family Day To-Go, Holiday Tidings, will focus on the exhibition.
Visitors can view the exhibition with a free timed ticket during the museum’s regular hours, and all related events are free and open to the public.
By Anna Morelock
