Coexistence

The video transports us to the furthest reaches of Brazil’s Amazon rainforests. It captures the myriad shades of green and the rich soundscapes of the forest. But the rainforest is not as untamed and untouched as we often assume. Scientists have left traces of their presence in the form of research equipment and scientific name tags. The video is narrated by the artist Kati Roover. Roover describes the work as a collection of subjective thoughts and moments in the forest, combined with scientific knowledge, and dreams affected by the Amazon rainforest. The artist raises the question of language as an instrument of knowledge. Language labels and classifies, limiting the breadth of our experience. What alternative forms of knowledge exist in the rainforest? How can we embrace new modes of coexistence instead of trying to control nature?

Kati Roover
1982, Estonia. Lives in Helsinki.
Photo: Kati Roover