Earth Rising: Simone Kessler

German artist Simone Kessler is showing her moving image work Something falls apart - 1 mm a decade at this year's Earth Rising Festival at the Irish Museum of Modern Arts in Dublin. 

In 2020, an estimated 1.3 million tons of munitions were resting in the North and Baltic Seas, intentionally deposited there 75 years ago after World War II. This legacy is exposed
to a slow and steady deterioration process, leading increasingly to the release of
explosives and other toxins into aquatic environments, resulting in irreversible pollution. Something falls apart – 1 mm a decade is an artistic simulation of the slow and hidden process of underwater decay. The title refers to the average deterioration rate of bombs‘ steel casings in seawater. The 7.5-minute long stop-motion video was shot over the course of 7.5 days and visualizes the incomprehensible slow process at a more understandable speed. The bombs are made of clay, a material that the artist Simone Kessler has been (re)using since 2015, starting with her installation Boden. Through photography and video, the problem of munitions disposal is lifted from the bottom of the sea to a level where it can be collectively observed and discussed.

Sound design: Tim Huys

Simone Kessler is a multidisciplinary artist whose exploratory and process-oriented approach aims to address important societal issues and explore new narratives for a different possible future. Through a series of interconnected artworks, she investigates philosophical questions related to ecological interconnections, scientific phenomena, and the human psyche.

Simone studied sculpture and photography at the Academy of Fine Arts in Munich and at the Faculty of Fine Arts at the University of Lisbon. Since 2017, she has been living and working as an independent artist in Hamburg.


Supported by the Goethe-Institut Irland


At this year's Earth Rising, the concert of LIE NING is also supported by the Goethe-Institut Irland. You can find further information on the concert here.