Earth Tides
Bethany Johnson

Note: video contains flashing imagery

We ascend from Delve to Ground, beginning with artist Bethany Johnson, known for her strata-like sculptural work previously exhibited in Points of Return. Earth Tides is a departure for the artist – translating her excavation like techniques into moving image. The artist describes this work as “a quiet meditation on the Earth’s cycles.” Johnson developed the piece during a two-month residency at the McDonald Observatory; the work is presented as a looping video and blends scientific and informational textures with observational footage to trace planetary rhythms – respiration, tides, rainfall, seasons – alongside slower geologic processes such as sedimentation and erosion. Johnson’s broader practice frequently engages scientific imagery, which this piece uses to ask how knowledge of Earth is produced and used – for extraction, for repair, for understanding.