Observing Climate Change: Interview with Ute Meta Bauer and Markus Reymann

The vitality of our oceans is crucial to human survival. Yet, for most city dwellers, we have the luxury of hiding within our comfortable communities and neglecting the damage done to our waters. NTU Centre for Contemporary Art Singapore (NTU CCA) shed light on the environmental and social concerns pertaining to the Pacific Ocean in its latest exhibition, “The Oceanic.” The presentation involved contributions from 12 artists, researchers, filmmakers and composers who traveled to Pacific archipelagos. These contributors are fellows at The Current, an ongoing research initiative developed by the interdisciplinary arts organization Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary–Academy (TBA21–Academy). In the past three years, the Academy hosted three expeditions—to Papua New Guinea in 2015, French Polynesia in 2016, and Fiji in 2017—in order to better understand the ecological, social and economic issues faced by those who live in the Pacific region. Ute Meta Bauer, curator and founding director of NTU CCA, served as the expedition leader for these trips. Conceived as a reflexive exhibition, “The Oceanic” gave viewers insight into the experiences and knowledge that the 12 fellows cultivated during their journeys.

• Singapore