Art for the Earth: we are opposite like that by Himali Singh Soin

Abstract

Himali Singh Soin’s immersive installation we are opposite like that (2018-2019) is one stage of an ongoing creative project focusing on Arctic and Antarctic icescapes and advocating for an ethic of care and reciprocity able to overcome the binary oppositions of Western civilization, epitomized by the titular polar opposites. Soin’s multimodal work encompasses performance, video, music, poetry, print manufacturing, digital animation, employing a wide range of literary, scientific, musical sources as well as found objects from the times of 19th century Polar expeditions to early 20th century attempts at exploiting the mineral wealth hidden and protected by ice. The aim of this paper is to contextualize Soin’s installation in the wider frame of the collective show, describe her poetic and artistic technique, and analyse the use she makes of late Victorian cultural materials.