Nathalie Miebach: Restless Waters at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Central Balboa Park

 by Patricia Frischer

Detail of installation below

Sometimes we are very lucky when a person’s compulsive behavior is not an obsession, but instead a passion. That is the case with Nathalie Miebach: Restless Waters at the Institute of Contemporary Art, Central and her relationship to data. Her subjects are broadly climate change and the pandemic for this exhibition especially the storms and floods and general extreme weather in California and Florida where her parents live. But the intense research that informs each creation does not dull but, instead, enhances the buoyant colors and kaleidoscope of shapes on display.

For anyone watching weather data, there are high and lows of temperature, humidity and. for us on the coast, tides and waves sizes. But Miebach includes the number of sunny days, or cloud cover, or her own mask wearing comfort level. She interviews bystanders and includes data from tweets. The data becomes very personal and the symbols used are varied, like the little chairs that denote or symbolize the death tolls. There are a huge variety of materials included and lots of construction techniques. This all makes for a carnival like spread of investigative possibilities for the viewer.

detail of sculpture below

Please note: artist Nathalie Mieback completing the installation in the far background

Working in collaboration with local experimental music organization Project BLANK, Miebach will develop a musical score  based on a new work Restless Waters to be performed on November 23 as part of PST ART (AKA Pacific  Standard Time), presented by Getty. In the past she has worked with 12 other composers on 16 works. This takes the art from a scientific understanding to an experimental interpretation.

Thanks go to the dedication of the installation staff at ICA for the huge effort to display these enormous works under the direction of the curator Jordan Karney Chaim.

Nathalie Miebach: Restless Waters
ICA Central, Balboa Park
Sat Sept21, 2024 - Sun, Jan 26, 2025
1439 El Prado, San Diego, CA 92101
Thursday–Sunday Noon to 5 pm
Monday–Wednesday Closed