This installation, a response to François Diday’s Le glacier du Rosenlaui, consists of a natural soundscape that can be heard slowly disintegrating and liquefying. The “voices” of three Icelandic glaciers alert us to what is happening, as if they are quickly counting down towards their inevitable demise. Sound recordings captured on site were pressed into three records, which were then cast and frozen in meltwater from each of the glaciers. The records were then played simultaneously on three turntables until the ice completely melted.
Katie Paterson is a conceptual artist with a romantic streak. Her multidisciplinary practice blends scientific research with poetic wonderment at the world, building a bridge between the Earth’s long, protean past and the fleeting history of humanity. Inspired by ecology, geology and cosmology, Paterson combines cutting-edge technology with poetic sensibility, a clear philosophical stance and a minimalist aesthetic.

Katie Paterson (b. 1981, Glasgow) studied at Edinburgh College of Art and at the Slade School of Fine Art in London. Widely regarded as one of the leading artists of her generation, she collaborates with cutting-edge scientists and researchers around the world. She was a winner at the South Bank Sky Arts Awards in 2014 and was the first artist in residence at University College London’s Physics and Astronomy Department. Paterson lives in Berlin.

View of the exhibition room, © MCBA, Jonas Hänggi

Katie Paterson, Langjökull, Snæfellsjökull, Solheimajökull, 2007. Film still © Katie Paterson, 2007