Amalie Smith’s exhibition Clay Theory is a meditation on the link between life and clay. It takes the form of a 3D movie in a entirely black room fitted with a soft carpet and meditation mats. In this setting, visitors view the work through active 3D glasses that are switched on and off 120 times per second, alternating between the right and left eye. It has been axhibited at Kunsthal Aarhus as well as at the group exhibition "Soft Water Hard Stone" at New Museum in New York.

The soundtrack features the voices of geologist Minik Rosing, archaeologist Jeanette Varberg and art historian Jacob Wamberg, who have all served as conversation partners in Amalie Smith’s interdisciplinary exploration of how life and clay are connected. The artist is occasionally heard to ask a question: were the clay figurines placed in prehistoric graves regarded as being alive, and did this in turn mean that they could also die? The voices merge with an orchestra of clay flutes playing music by Beethoven, as well as music created by composer Simon Brinck, parts of which was created in collaboration with an artificial intelligence.

Clay Theory is part of the EU-funded project Excavating Contemporary Archaeology, created in collaboration with Point Centre for Contemporary Art (CY), MUCEM (FR) and Air Antwerp (BE).

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director
Amalie Smith

sound & music
Simon Brinck

photos
David Stjernholm