Monstrous Earth

"Earth-from-space images from the late 20th century — such as Earthrise, Blue Marble, and Pale Blue Dot — were heralded as catalysts for a renewed awareness and relationship with the planet. Instead, these images have reinforced the modern gaze of totality and control from a distance.

Monstrous Earth is a conceptual proposition exploring how the planet can be mediated from an Earth-bound perspective, locating the planetary in partiality rather than totality. An inescapable monstrosity exists in living on a planet that resists knowing it completely, where our existence may be inconsequential to the Earth’s relentless forces, yet we rely on it entirely.

Anahat Bharaj has developed a spatialised, sonic narrative portraying the Earth as an indifferent, chaotic, and inhuman site. The speculative and disorienting script invites listeners to relate to the planet through its geological and temporal processes and amplifies our inherent entanglement with the Earth’s vast, incomprehensible systems and cosmic processes."