"Navigating Polarities”, an immersive film installation, investigates the history of navigation and the natural forces of polarity and magnetism present in the physical world. The work takes the Earth’s geomagnetic field as a starting point, considering the ways in which micro- and macrocosmic elements are contingent on these properties to operate. Interested in the correlations between systems at different scales – from the quantum to the cosmic – Dijkman explores how humans and animals alike synchronize and coordinate their behavior and activities within the Earth’s inherent laws. The film is projected upon a dome-shaped screen that mimics the circular form of the globe.  On the concave screen, a combination of scientific and historical materials – images of magnetic fields in space, animal navigation, cardinal directions and compasses from different cultures and periods in history, maps, and scientific diagrams and experiments – bleed and merge into one another. The range of reference material is overwhelming in scope, presenting the universe and its systems as intrinsically unified. The accompanying soundtrack and narrative explore these phenomena from a human-centered perspective, identifying the philosophical, psychological, and moral consequences of these various natural states through critical thought and interpretation."

CREDITS

Directed by Marjolijn Dijkman

Editing: Inneke Van Waeyenberghe (editor), Léo Ghysels (assistant editor), and Marjolijn Dijkman
Animations: Jeroen Koffeman
Camera and magnetic experiments: Marjolijn Dijkman
Text editing: Marjolijn Dijkman, Amelia Wallin (assistant)
Sound design: Pôm Bouvier
Voice over: Tess Bryant, recorded at La Vita E Media (Brussels, BE)

Research assistants: Soline Bredin, Achiel Buyse, Sven Dehens, Amelia Wallin

Thanks to: Soline Bredin, Pôm Bouvier, Ann E. Butler, Achiel Buyse, Lauren Cornell, Sven Dehens, Tess Bryant, Léo Ghysels, Mami Kataoka,Tom Keenan, Alex Kitnick, Jeroen Koffeman, Jeannine Tang, The Center for Curatorial Studies / CCS Bard (NY, US), Gretta Tritch Roman, Maarten Vanden Eynde, Inneke Van Waeyenberghe, Amelia Wallin.

Supported by: Mondriaan Fund (NL)

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