fissures II (beneath the surface)

by Kelsey Bosch

In Fissures II (beneath the surface), Kelsey Bosch pairs recordings of ice from Jökulsárlón glacier in Iceland and a lake in southern Minnesota. The recordings include bubbling, thumping, even hissing sounds that repeat with subtle changes, gaining speed until they evoke, what Bosch calls, a “digital ice storm.” The artist has explained that this sound piece builds a connection between winters in Minnesota and the global threat of climate change. Listening to the combined sounds of melting ice building to a frenzy creates a visceral sense of urgency to address the climate crisis. As you listen, consider Ethan Jones’s large-scale photograph on the wall to your left, which also addresses the melting of polar ice.

Fissures II (beneath the surface) was commissioned by the Weisman Art Museum in 2018.