BLOATED AFFAIR
Helium balloons / Lentvaris, 2021
 

At the time of our stay in Lentvaris, we had been thinking about the exotic nature of the artificial resort. The palm tree, once seen by Odysseus on his travels, has flourished in our imagination. Over the long history of human-palm symbiosis, the palm tree has become an ambiguous symbol: from the palm branch as a sign of victory, to the ecological disaster wrought by the palm oil industry. At once both exotic and mundane, it vividly depicts the relationship between contemporary culture and the environment.

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The helium balloon installation at the lake in Lentvaris takes its inspiration from Odysseus’ stay on the island of Aeolia, and the gift that brought him disaster – a tied bag containing 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 the possibilities that plastic offers, we see it as an exotic and luxurious material.