Ether Navigation 2005
Two young boys move in slow motion underwater in circular motions. Their image is projected onto the wall, while nearby, a TV monitor presents an undulating watery surface – a metaphor for the medium of modern existence. The slowed sound of their watery movements accompanies the visuals. This work addresses issues of finding one’s way in a contemporary world where much of experience has become virtual. Like earlier postulations of an ether which permeates the universe, contemporary existence is mediated by a non-physical web of sensory experiences. Young people in particular must learn to navigate this modern ether as they develop an understanding of their reality with its many virtual as well as physical layers.
An installation of Ether Navigation was shown in the lobby of Roy Thompson Hall, Toronto in March of 2005 as part of the Toronto Symphony’s New Creations Festival.
Still Life: Navigating 2020
Reworked in 2020 as a response to the Covid 19 pandemic, Still Life: Navigation 2020
Still Life – Navigating 2020 re-visions Peter Sramek’s video installation Ether Navigation (2005), which considered how young generations were learning to ‘swim’ in virtual worlds, immersed in new realities. Now, in 2020, Still Life visualizes a response to the pandemic as we all learn to navigate. Incorporated Images of tangled vines overlay the screen as the boys tumble and turn. Even as we shelter in the virtual, hidden away from natural threats, it is nature that sustains and gives many hope. In these artworks, vignettes taken from nature (nature morte as it is in French) imply that there is still life, even in the cycles of death and rebirth. The video was included in an exhibition of contemporary art at the Wuhan Public Art Museum, Wuhan, China in 2021.
