The British Council and The Korea Foundation invited applications for a creative commission which will bring together art, science and digital technology and offer innovative, interdisciplinary and collaborative responses to climate change. Among high-quality innovative project proposals, ‘Littoral Chronicle’ jointly submitted by ikkibawiKrrr, Shezad Dawood (UBIK Productions) and Ritika Biswas has been selected for the commission and its project outline is as below;
[Project Overview]
Littoral Chronicle is a transmedia and research project exploring coastal ocean farming, regeneration+restoration strategies, marine human communities and ecological migrants, and alternative coastal climate alliances across South Korea and the UK.
Littoral, meaning ‘seashore’ and waters closest to the shore, denotes the zone in water bodies that is home to rooted shallow plants and marine species e.g. seaweed, clams, anemones, kelp, crabs. But here, we also extend this term to include human communities who labour in and live by these zones, be they indigenous or newly immigrated communities.
Oceanic farms have become a major focus as carbon capture solutions in international climate strategies. But in this project, by chronicling the experience of marine human communities and oceanic migrant workers, we hope to understand the real-time and lived impact of such regenerative farms.
Our intention is to nuance climate strategies in ways that are both scientifically effective and foreground human impact and climate justice. Through our virtual exhibition and platform, we also hope to open up ecological imaginaries and speculative possibilities within our unfolding climate crisis.
Project website: https://www.littoralchronicle.com
[Partners]
IkkibawiKrrr
ikkibawiKrrr is a visual research band that was founded in 2021 in South Korea, with roots in other collectives over the last decade. It explores multifaceted links between plants and humanity, civilization and natural phenomena, and colonialism and ecology. Its current members are KO Gyeol, KIM Jungwon, and CHO Jieun.
In Korean, ikkibawi means “moss-rock” and krrr is an onomatopoeic word that denotes a rolling motion. Taking the moss- way of non-anthropocentric hybrid approaches, ikkibawiKrrr has worked with a multitude of communities across South Korea and internationally, including haenyeo (female sea- divers mainly in Jeju Island), climate activists, youth groups, and other stakeholders to produce collaborative projects. Recently, ikkibawiKrrr’s works have been exhibited in Seoul Mediacity Biennale (2023), EVA Biennale (2023), and documenta 15 (2022) among others.
Shezad Dawood+UBIK Productions
London-based artist and researcher Shezad Dawood (b. 1974) interweaves stories, realities and symbolism to create richly layered artworks, spanning painting, textiles, sculpture, film and digital media. Fascinated by ecologies and architecture, his work takes a philosophical approach, asking questions and exploring alternative futures through what Dawood describes as ‘world-building’ and ‘imagineering’. His works have been shown in many spaces, a few of which include: Toronto Biennial of Art (2022); Guggenheim, New York (2021); Southbank Centre, London (2020–21); Manifesta 13 (2020); Lahore Biennial (2020); Sharjah Biennial 14, UAE (2019) – Jury Prize for Encroachments; Gwangju Biennale, South Korea (2018); Mori Art Museum, Tokyo (2016); Museum of Modern Art, New York (2015); Busan Biennale (2010); Venice Biennale (2009). Dawood is also the founder of UBIK Productions, an immersive film and arts production company that specializes in using algorithm technologies and VR development to develop new media works and digital animation.
▶ Shezad Dawood Website: https://shezaddawood.com
▶ UBIK Productions Website: https://ubikproductions.com
Ritika Biswas
Ritika Biswas (b. 1995) is a nomadic curator, researcher, and space-maker. She grew up in Kolkata, India and holds a Liberal Arts degree from Yale-NUS College, Singapore, and an MPhil in Film and Screen Studies from the University of Cambridge. She was a curator and special projects producer at New Art Exchange Gallery in the UK from 2019-2021, co-curator of the fifth iteration of Museum Without Walls (2021), and Artistic Director for the 2021 Sea Art Festival titled Non-/Human Assemblages for the Busan Biennale. She concluded the 2022 International Research Fellowship at MMCA Seoul with a focus on Anthropocene narratives and South Korean eco-feminist artists and collectives. Her upcoming project, Nine Nodes of Non-Being at 421 in Abu Dhabi is a major group exhibition on climate extinction(s). Her practice exists at the nexus of deep research, eco-critical play, collaborative kinships, and justice, particularly within Majority World contexts.
