Koyaanisqatsi

An unconventional work in every way, Godfrey Reggio’s Koyaanisqatsi was nevertheless a sensation when it was released in 1983. This first work of The Qatsi Trilogy wordlessly surveys the rapidly changing environments of the Northern Hemisphere, in an astonishing collage created by the director, cinematographer Ron Fricke, and composer Philip Glass. It shuttles viewers from one jaw-dropping vision to the next, moving from images of untouched nature to others depicting human beings’ increasing dependence on technology Koyaanisqatsi’s heterodox methods (including hypnotic time-lapse photography) make it a look at our world from a truly unique angle.

About our guest speaker (only on Thursday November 11th)

Jasper Baldwin Coppes (NL, 1983) is an Amsterdam based artist. His practice takes shape across a variety of different media, such as; film, writing, sculpture, architecture and sound. With his work, he questions the dominant stories we tell about landscapes and the processes that take place within them. Long-term dialogues with specific sites, people and other entities form the basis of his practice. 

Last September he released his most recent work – Aasivissuit, in which he explores the rapidly changing cultural landscapes of Greenland, and how people and nature interact in the face of imminent climate change.

This film is part of our program Rhizobia and will feature a Q&A on our relationship with nature, climate change and changing cultural landscapes with artist Jasper Baldwin Coppes.