Diversity's Ark
Diversity's Ark
In 2000 a sunken concrete dock was raised from the bottom of Daugava, the river that flows through Riga, the capital of Latvia. A group of visionary people transformed it into an exhibition space and floating stage. The name given to this cultural venue, NOASS, is full of biblical and apocalyptic connotations. By 2022, at the end (hopefully) of a pandemic that threatened and put harshly to the test the entire humankind, we have become familiar with PCR, the most reliable test to trace the covid19 virus in humans. PCR is a biological procedure that is used for mapping the genetic material of organisms through sequencing and also for tracing alien DNA in them. The Diversity’s Ark was conceived as a large scale installation that resembles a PCR, enveloping NOASS’s outer shell (dim: 28.5x7.6x5.5m). Horizontal forms of depiction of light, an immaterial element, lighting fixtures and objects’ close ups that reveal textures alternate vertically, creating sequences. Colors’ mixings and degradations, as well as interchangeable depth of field given by different light intensities, create almost an illusion of highly textured columns. This layering which is developing in three directions, width, height and depth, also creates, subconsciously and through the neurophysiological pathway of visual perception, an amalgam of thoughts, ideas and sentiments. Τhe combination of all the above allude to the immense biological and behavioral diversity of organisms. While humanity is facing historic challenges, like the covid19 pandemic, wars, extreme climate change and enormous humanitarian issues, the Diversity’s Ark symbolizes the vessel that contains and safeguards humanity’s legacy of codified data.
Tolis Tatolas
The Diversity's Ark installation was commissioned by the Embassy of Greece in Riga, in the frame of the anniversary of the Centenary of diplomatic relations between Greece and Latvia. It was inaugurated on the 2nd of June 2022, on the occasion of the official visit to Latvia of H.E. The President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
In 2000 a sunken concrete dock was raised from the bottom of Daugava, the river that flows through Riga, the capital of Latvia. A group of visionary people transformed it into an exhibition space and floating stage. The name given to this cultural venue, NOASS, is full of biblical and apocalyptic connotations. By 2022, at the end (hopefully) of a pandemic that threatened and put harshly to the test the entire humankind, we have become familiar with PCR, the most reliable test to trace the covid19 virus in humans. PCR is a biological procedure that is used for mapping the genetic material of organisms through sequencing and also for tracing alien DNA in them. The Diversity’s Ark was conceived as a large scale installation that resembles a PCR, enveloping NOASS’s outer shell (dim: 28.5x7.6x5.5m). Horizontal forms of depiction of light, an immaterial element, lighting fixtures and objects’ close ups that reveal textures alternate vertically, creating sequences. Colors’ mixings and degradations, as well as interchangeable depth of field given by different light intensities, create almost an illusion of highly textured columns. This layering which is developing in three directions, width, height and depth, also creates, subconsciously and through the neurophysiological pathway of visual perception, an amalgam of thoughts, ideas and sentiments. Τhe combination of all the above allude to the immense biological and behavioral diversity of organisms. While humanity is facing historic challenges, like the covid19 pandemic, wars, extreme climate change and enormous humanitarian issues, the Diversity’s Ark symbolizes the vessel that contains and safeguards humanity’s legacy of codified data.
Tolis Tatolas
The Diversity's Ark installation was commissioned by the Embassy of Greece in Riga, in the frame of the anniversary of the Centenary of diplomatic relations between Greece and Latvia. It was inaugurated on the 2nd of June 2022, on the occasion of the official visit to Latvia of H.E. The President of the Hellenic Republic Ms Katerina Sakellaropoulou.