Set during the COVID-19 pandemic, this artwork examines the irony of human isolation and the spread of infectious diseases, which correspond to migratory birds that use the Earth’s magnetic field and their innate genetic navigational sensibility as guides during their seasonal transit. The Berlin-based artist collaborated with fellow Berlin-based choreographer Jung Sun Kim to develop a type of gymnastics for the isolated human body. In order to convey this choreography to Nacca, a Japanese activist living in Busan, the artist lands at Incheon Airport that has been deserted due to the pandemic and accompanies Nacca practicing on Eulsukdo Island, a habitat for migratory birds. This work juxtaposes images of immigrants and migratory birds living in different places and offers an intimate look at infectious diseases caused by anthropocentrism, the isolation of the human civilizations in the aftermath of a pandemic and the indivisible global networks of viruses or air currents. The gymnastics guide Vagrant Genes: Choreography can be viewed on YouTube: https://rb.gy/qufliq.
