BLOATED AFFAIR

54° 39′ 24″ N, 25° 2′ 21″ E

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Helium balloons

2021, Lentvaris Lake

At a time of our stay in Lentvaris, we been thinking about exotic nature of artificial resort. And the palm tree, that Odysseus once saw, has flourished in our imagination. Over the long history of human-palm symbiosis, the palm tree has become ambiguous symbol: from the palm branch as a sign of victory to the ecological disaster caused by the palm oil industry. Exotic and mundane at the same time, it nicely depicts the contemporary culture in relation with the environment.

Helium balloon installation in Lentvaris Lake refers to Odysseus’ stay in Aeolia island and the gift that brought him disaster - a tied bag with unfavourable winds. In the Anthropocene era, this epic acquires new meanings: it is not only the elemental content of the bag but the gift bag itself that becomes relevant. Thinking of possibilities, that plastic offers, we see it like the exotic and luxurious material. 

Thanks for support LOKOMOTIF and community of Lentvaris