Chaos Theory

The work of the Metahaven collective is internationally renowned for its ability to blur the boundaries between art, cinematography, and design. Their video installation Chaos Theory, 2021–24 is a poignant audiovisual poem that addresses the complexity of human relations in a hyper-connected world where every moment is charged with calculations and predictions, but where the unlikely and unexpected also constantly arise. The film after which the installation takes its name focuses on the dialogue between two women, X (Valentina Di Mondo) and Y/Z (Georgina Dávid), who reflect on the complexities and sentimental nuances of their lives. Their common experience is intertwined despite the distance separating their bodies. Playing or walking together, their conversation shifts through open spaces in the suburban periphery to a school exit or more intimate settings—an elevator, a room—all of them equally allegorical and dream-like. Interweaving the lightness of play with discussions on existential time and gravity, Chaos Theory explores the changing emotions of being mother, sister and child.

Shot on location in the outskirts of Amsterdam, the film’s infrastructural landscape appears in contrast with its open-ended, non-linear poetics. At the same time, the composition of the image sometimes causes multiple viewpoints or screens to appear within the screen, outlining one of them in red when a new motif is presented, in the manner of a videoconference. In doing so, Metahaven again demonstrates its original attention to technological transformations affecting contemporary modes of relationships, particularly in the post-pandemic context. On a spatial level, the video installation includes a large textile piece that allows visitors to physically interact with the motifs and textures presented in the film. Data and graphic vectors are interwoven on a dense piece of wool that somewhat resembles the upholstery found on public transport and which offers a counterpoint to the smooth hardness of touch screens, ubiquitous in our environment, while highlighting the value of contact in the communication of our emotions.