Controlled Burn invites the viewer on a cosmic journey through deep time, soaring through an aerial landscape of imploding fireworks. Shot with a first-person drone, this disorienting voyage takes in open pit coalmines, decommissioned oil rigs, and rusting cooling towers. Throughout, amidst whirling smoke and fire, implosions are intercut by flashing images of primordial unfurling ferns and fluttering moths – beings that evolved during the carboniferous geological period. Appearing at subliminal speed, Charrière offers these organisms as both spirit guides and living tokens for the vitality of fossil fuels. Additionally, as markers for how the agency of coal, oil, and tar has come to haunt our contemporary imagination – taking root in our dream life; infesting visions of the world to come. Linking celebratory pyrotechnics with extraction architectures, explosive momentum and technological obsolescence, Controlled Burn stages the fantasy of a dramatic return to sources of energy via implosion: a time before smoke.

Julian Charrière is a French-Swiss artist living and working in Berlin. Charrière explores ideas of nature and its transformation over deep geological as well as human historical time. Addressing pressing matters of ecological concern, his work frequently stems from fieldwork in remote locations with acute geophysical identities, such as volcanoes, ice fields, oil palm plantations, and undersea and radioactive sites. An ongoing reflection upon the mythos and politics of exploration in a globalized age is central to his practice. Working across media and conceptual paradigms, Charrière frequently collaborates with composers, scientists, engineers, art historians,and philosophers. His work often provokes, inviting critical reflection uponcultural traditions of perceiving, representing, and engaging with the natural world. 

Presented by Viv Arts and supported by Julius Baer’s NEXT Initiative.

About VIV Arts:

At VIV Arts, we believe the future of art lies in experiences. We partner with leading contemporary artists and creatives to enable a future for immersive installations in physical spaces. Our artists are dreamers who connect with audiences in unique and transformative ways. Our mission is to have the most exciting and innovative experiences be enjoyed at a global scale. VIV Arts was founded in 2024 by curators Carlota Dochao Naveiraand Oliva Sartogo.  @vivarts.io

Image: Julian Charrière, Controlled Burn, 2022, Film still. Copyright the artist; VG Bild-Kunst, Bonn, Germany.