WALKING THE FLOOD LINE

COMISION FOR THE 2023 ARCHITECTURE VENICE BIENNALE, DANISH PAVILLION

The northwest coast of Java is losing coastal land at a rapid rate while communities have lost their livelihood and residences. The following project aims to visualize the loss of coastal land from 2022 to 1985 in the west of Semarang, through an on-site exploration. By walking and measuring from today’s water edge to the coastal edge in 1985, now underwater, the urgency and impact of sea-level rise and floods in this territory is made evident and formalized.

The resulting project is a video work, registering the impact of climate change in coastal conditions through the experience of a walk. Using artistic references to the art of performance, and experiential documentary, the video work intertwines landscape art and first-hand embodiment of the flooded territory to mediate the loss of fertile land, buildings, communities, and infrastructure. The depth measuring device carried during the work, adds factual aspects to the performance.