Life and Death in the Age of Climate Change
“The Endless End” explores the rich past and complicated present for all non-human life
“Facing West Shadows: The Endless End” is a multimedia exhibit at the Institute of Contemporary Art San Jose (ICASJ) on display from April 1 to Aug. 14.
The installation, created by artist collective Facing West Shadows, combines video, audio and physical art forms in a series of connected rooms inside of ICASJ. The exhibit draws on themes of ancient animal life, human intervention and earth in the age of climate change.
Tucked away towards the back of the museum, “The Endless End’s” entrance is adorned with thick sheets of paper draping down from the ceiling, each with colorful paint-poured designs. A small bird is seen perched along the upper half of the canvas, much like those of Kara Maria’s De Saisset exhibit.
Right as I took my first step in, I was met with eight simultaneous projections (six from above, two on the ground), shooting a mix of video, photo and animation all across the room. A delicate and hauntingly beautiful soundscape played as the walls began to tell their story.
The entirety of the exhibit’s inside is lined from floor-to-ceiling with huge sheets of crumpled white paper. Visuals of different animals, fossils and human silhouettes glide across the walls, each taking on their own form and distortion from the abnormal creases and crimps of the wall’s bright white paper. Small, vibrantly colored stencils are placed in projectors on the floor and projected on top of the quickly changing media, all of which resemble a complex root structure or splintering network of veins.
Immediately upon entering, “The Endless End’s” story is captivating. While onlookers may not be told where they are in the story, or how each scene relates to the next, the overarching theme is clear: climate change and human activity have fundamentally deteriorated life for animals.
Birds seem to be a commonality among different scenes and visuals throughout “The Endless End’s” loop, as both flight and death appear as frequent motifs on the omnidirectional display. Flocks of birds rise and fall in flight across the walls, with some spiraling down towards the floor in an unmistakably harrowing way.
The image and metaphor of the tree is also a very important actor in this story. To me at least, the many trees throughout “The Endless End” reminded me of growth, life and resilience in the face of even the most existential threats.
A smaller, secondary room is attached and decorated identically to the main display of “The Endless End.” This additional room seemed to feature imagery of fossils more prominently, almost as if to serve as a reminder of the ever-present past, and the millions of years of evolution that each creature traveled through.
“The Endless End” creates a truly transcendent atmosphere. The two rooms the exhibit inhabits feel almost like a cave, provoking an immediate sense of both isolation and escape from the outside world. I soon forgot I was looking at projections onto paper and felt totally immersed in the story and imagery of the room. No words were spoken in the masterfully made soundscape of “The Endless End,” though so much was conveyed through music, visuals and design.
Not having a defined start or finish, the exhibit performs nonstop, which ultimately adds to its mystery and beauty. As I came to the end of my stay, I was left reveling in the enormity of animal history. Though I also left with a deep, all-encompassing feeling of smallness — the kind that only art can provide.