“Albertina the Snow Woman” was created for the group exhibition On the Edge of the Horizon – Navigating Post-Natural Landscapes. Participating Artists: Andrea G. Artz, Sandrine Deumier, Laura Colmenares Guerra, Mohsen Hazrati, Tonio Mundry, Chiara Passa, Alla Popp, Laura Fong Prosper, Anke Schiemann, Tamiko Thiel
A virtual show, online on common.garden 27.03. – 27.04.2025
Co-curated by Diane Drubay (Blueshift) & Tina Sauerlaender (Radiance VR)
In cooperation with objkt.com
Watch the Show on Common Garden
The video explores the transient nature of life and the cyclical processes of creation, destruction, and regeneration. It creates a virtual world based on real-life experiences and emotions, emphasising our profound connection with nature.
During an artist residency in Lapland, Sweden, I joyfully created a life-sized Snow Woman, who existed vibrantly for a few weeks before melting shortly after my departure. To preserve this ephemeral artwork, I captured her essence through photographs, videos, and 3D scans, which later informed the creation of a virtual realm.
The sound design features recordings by experimental sound artist Christoph Zeckel, made in Lapland, alongside additional footage of raindrops. Movement artist Emily beautifully embodies the melting Snow Woman in her performance, which was recorded using motion capture technology.
Albertina’s avatar was initially inspired by the surreal, hallucinatory world of Angela Carter’s prescient novel, “The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman” (1972). In this work, Albertina, Dr Hoffmann’s daughter, is portrayed as a sensuous woman made of glass, appearing in various gender-fluid disguises. These include a melting Snow Woman, a menacing black swan, and a temptress from a dream.
This project marks the first iteration (Snow Woman) of Albertina’s avatar, developed for a large-scale immersive experience centred around her narratives. Throughout this year, I will continue to work on more episodes, each resulting in a short video that unfolds Albertina’s storylines and features her avatar in different seasons, highlighting the cycle of life and its connection with nature.
