Muriel Quancard

FLEETING SHADOWS:
WHISPERS OF OBSOLESCENCE

APRIL 1-7, 2024
PARK HOUSE | DALLAS, TX
CURATED BY MURIEL QUANCARD

This two-person exhibition, featuring Claudia Hart's Digital Death and Sabrina Ratté's Plane of Incidence, delves into the transient nature of digital technology. Hart and Ratté prompt us to view the digital realm as both an extension of and a deviation from organic life, urging a reevaluation of our relationship with technology amidst the looming shadow of obsolescence. In the post-digital era, with technology sculpting our intimate connections, these animations reflect the fundamental cycles that underpin the human condition. This synergistic display showcases the ephemeral character of the digital world, using it as a compelling, albeit flawed, metaphor for the essential cycles of life and death.

Hart’s Digital Death uses 3D animation software to depict the life cycle of a cherry tree via fractal mathematics, highlighting the lack of natural decay. The artist ingeniously simulates death by inverting growth algorithms, causing the tree to glitch unnaturally, disintegrate, and ultimately vanish. This work exemplifies the duality of digital existence—eternally present yet rapidly advancing towards obsolescence, distinct from nature's cycles of life, death, and rebirth. Meanwhile, Plane of Incidence by Ratté blurs the line between the animate and inanimate through speculative evolution. Abandoned objects and the living interact, leading to unforeseen outcomes—life trajectories that both captivate, transform and regenerate. Drawing on biologist Lynn Margulis's symbiogenesis theory, Ratté emphasizes the interconnectedness of all life, offering a biological perspective on the complex relationships that span the natural and digital domains.

These works instigate feelings of disquiet and curiosity, fostering contemplation and reflection. By navigating the interwoven narratives of digital frailty and speculative futures, the exhibition "Fleeting Shadows: Whispers of Obsolescence" contemplates the transience of digital legacies and our ongoing search for meaning in technological interactions. It encourages us to appreciate the ephemeral nature of human and digital experiences, underscoring the importance of unmediated human connections as a cornerstone of our nature. These three videos presented at Park House are powerful reminders of the unparalleled value of being physically present in the space to contemplate, interact, and fully experience our humanity. They accentuate the stark contrast between digital abstraction and tangible reality, inviting deep engagement with the art and one another in this communal space, and celebrating the unique connections and emotions that arise from our physical coexistence.

Claudia Hart is represented by Bitforms, New York.
Sabrina Ratté is represented by Ellephant, Montreal, Canada.