Shaken Grounds. Seismography of Precarious Presences

Not only natural but also anthropogenic forces give rise to (or intensify) seismic processes. What forms of precarity shape this socio-geological dynamic, and what new uncertainties does it produce?

How do human and more-than-human actors move on ground that is increasingly unstable – geologically, politically, and existentially?

Situated at the intersection of artistic research, geology, somatic practices, performance art, and film making, the project understands seismography as an open, transdisciplinary practice: a method of perceiving, translating, and relating bodies, technologies, and the planet Earth at sites of heightened seismic activity.

Shaken Grounds. Seismography of Precarious Presences is a transdisciplinary artistic research project that explores the interconnections between geological, social, and psychological upheavals. Starting point is the observation that not only natural processes but also human interventions such as climate change and technological interventions influence seismic dynamics and alter the stability of our environment.

At the center is the question of how these tremors inscribe themselves in bodies, environments, and social contexts. Seismography is understood here not only as a scientific method, but as an artistic practice of perception and relating. In this context, a “trembling thought” (Édouard Glissant) emerges, one that detaches itself from the notion of solid ground and engages with movements, shifts, and transitions.

Shaken Grounds brings together artists, scientists, and curators to develop new perspectives on the relationship between the body, technology, and the earth. Diverse media and practices, including performance, film, drawing, sound, and somatic approaches, enter into a dialogue with geological processes.

The exhibition presents the results of the research project of the same name funded by the Austrian Science Fund (FWF) and also marks the launch of the Creative Europe project Shaken Grounds: Art as Seismography, co-funded by the European Union.

With contributions by:

Bjarki Bragason, Nikolaus Gansterer, Mariella Greil, Victor Jaschke, Peter Kozek, Anna Líndal, Werner Moebius, Lucie Strecker

In artistic and scientific dialogue with:

Valerio Acocella, Arno Böhler, Alexander Damianisch, Wolfgang Fiel, Oscar Fernandez Bellon, Helga Franza, Nicolas Freytag, Sabine Folie, Aleksandar Gabrovski, Vesna Meštrić, Susanna Ravelli, Sylvia Scheidl, Ana Škegro, Sandra Ó. Snæbjörnsdóttir, Kaloyan Vasev, VestAndPage, Sandro de Vita, Mauro di Vito

Guided tours and exhibition program:

12 May, 17:00

Public Conversation and Guided Tour

26 May, 17:00

Closing Reception and Guided Tour

Pre-Program in April:

In April 2026 the research project Shaken Grounds. Seismography of Precarious Presences will be setting up an experimental studio at AIL and open and share it for various occasions with a wider public through participatory film shoots, workshops, and talks. Find more info about the experimental studio by clicking here.

From 2023 to 2026 the research project was funded through the Austrian Science Fund’s Programme for Arts-based Research (PEEK). The methods and artefacts developed during this period will be presented in the experimental studio and are lead to this exhibition Shaken Grounds. Seismography of Precarious. Aim of the exhibition is to make visible the first curatorial axes of a group exhibition and conference planned for 2027, featuring Italian, Icelandic, Croatian, and Austrian artists at the Museum of Contemporary Art Zagreb (Muzej suvremene umjetnosti Zagreb). The exhibition is supported by Creative Europe.