At the Engadin Art Talks satellite event in Scala, St. Moritz, Maja Hoffmann, Stefanie Hessler and Nina Canell explored art, energy, ecology and material transformations. Hoffmann elaborated on 'Elevation 1049', a site-specific biennial in Gstaad, emphasizing the integration of contemporary art and environmental awareness, particularly regarding climate change and melting glaciers. Hessler discussed her curatorial approach to 'Elevation 1049', highlighting how art institutions can address sustainability, material use and extractive energy economies through interventions like 1970s wind turbine activism, indigenous energy solutions and speculative art projects. Canell shared her exploration of energy and materiality, from dust and electrostatic charges to subsea cables, revealing the hidden infrastructures of digital networks. The discussion emphasized new curatorial models and deeper artistic engagement with energy discourse.
“We think of energy as immaterial, but the networks that power the digital world are deeply territorial, embedded in physical and geopolitical realities.”
— Nina Canell