SOPHIE ALLERDING

Glowing Eyes (2020)

Analog photographs, sound installation

Glowing Eyes is about myths from the Brazilian Amazon rainforest, stories, that show humans as part of their environment and thus offer different perspectives than the Western concept of nature, where the human is seen as counterpart to it.

Myths have a great influence on how we perceive our environment, and move and act in it. The Amazonian Myths are part of the ecosystem of the forest, where they are alive, their storytellers tend to live in balance and respect with their environment. In contract to it colonialist created myths that show nature as wild which needs to be tamed to legitimize exploitation and degradation.

Due to my Latin American background I grew up with Brazilian folklore, it is part of my inner life. At the same time, I grew up in Germany, so that I also embody the western gaze which sees a tropical paradise of resources. To reestablish and heal a connection with nature, I look into the living myths to lead me. Through a visual and physical exploration, I reconnect to the stories of the Amazons to conjure up old images again and charge them with new magic.

This work emerged from research conducted during extended stays and workshops in Ribeirinho communities on Ilha de Marajó, Belém, Brazil.

Installation shots: Dior Visual Arts Award, Luma, Arles, France, 2021.