Huddling, friends with thermal benefits

                                                           
May-June 2022.
group exhibition with Daniel Jenatsch, EJ Son, Holly Childs + Gediminus Zygus, Spencer Lai at Cool Change Contemporary, Curated by Isabella Hone-Saunders. 
Kleptothermy’ is a term used to explain a form of thermoregulation through the sharing of metabolic thermogenesis; the use of the thermal heterogeneity from one creature by another creature, to maintain and increase their own body temperature. Both animals and humans use kleptothermy – often not reciprocal, it can be exploitative or achieved by mimicry – this type of thermal regulation occurs in both ecto and endo-therms. In one of its most tender and endearing manifestations, it is called ‘huddling’.

Using the concept of kleptothermy and thermoregulation as an invitation to the artists, and as a central framework to respond to, this group exhibition will consider, but is not limited to, themes of habitat sharing, forms of regulation and control, survival, as well as human and ecological sickness. This exhibition will use thermal monitoring as an interesting method to broadly contemplate animal behaviour, human behaviour and as a way in which to speak about our shared relationship with the planet.

In us all, we carry an internal hygrothermograph, to protect and regulate our bodies, in a gallery and museological context, a hygrothermograph is used to simultaneously measure and help control the temperature and humidity of the space so as to stabilize conditions and protect the work. We look to human history and the developments in our understanding of body temperature, it has evolved, we once believed that an abnormal temperature was the sickness and not understood as a symptom. Now contextualised within the integration and normalisation of temperature gauges in the form of hand-held, gun-like infrared thermometers embedded in cityscapes, as a response to such global sicknesses as COVID-19. Temperatures are taken, thermometer held to forehead, upon entering workplaces, gyms, nightclubs and before receiving a vaccine.

Our planet reaching a thermal equilibrium equates to “thermal death” – an impending moment where everything on the earth will reach the same temperature. Here, the artists may use this prompt as a broader way to speak to the non-reciprocal ways we treat or mistreat the planet, for example ways in which humans steal and erode precious earth resources, to connect to critical environmental issues pertaining to sustainability and possible ecological futures.

Read here, ‘To weather the storm’ a response written by Audrey Schmidt.
 
Read here, the exhibition catalogue produced by Cool Change Contemporary.

Listen to ‘The winner takes all’ by Holly Childs and Gediminus Zygus.