On the Horizon, 2020-21
Project conceived by Ana Theresa Fernández
Terri Cohn was part of the initial project team and a curatorial consultant
Wrote descriptive text Imagine (2020)
“On the Horizon is imagined as a collective endeavor, something shared that will be internalized and meaningful for participants. This artwork is not meant to intimidate or create anxiety, but rather to inspire, and evoke change through experiential, critical, and cooperative actions."
– From Imagine, 2020, Terri Cohn. Project description for Ana Teresa Fernández.
On the Horizon: 2020-21 is an experiential sculptural installation by artist Ana Teresa Fernández that is a visceral expression of the dangers of climate change and sea level rise. It was presented at several venues, including Ocean Beach, San Francisco, during the 2021 summer solstice, and Cliff House, San Francisco, via the For Site Foundation, in December 2021.
The artwork consisted of 16 six-foot-tall acrylic resin cylinders filled with seawater, symbolizing the projected sea level rise by 2100. Illuminated at sunset, the work provided a visually rich representation of climate data, allowing participants to experience the impact of rising sea levels firsthand.
On the Horizon, November 2021 Installation in Mexico. Photo: Carlos Bravo
Terri Cohn, who has been involved with eco-art and projects that address climate change for years, contributed to the conceptual development of this collective project by participating in a “think tank” with Fernández and Doniece Sandoval during the inceptive phrase. She worked with a team which included a filmmaker, Lisa Rose, director of COLECTIVO; a fabricator; dancers; teachers and children from Sunset Cooperative Preschool; and writer Rebecca Solnit, to develop, produce, and install the piece.
Importantly, Cohn provided an engaging descriptive text Imagine (2020), which provided art historical context and was used for PR outreach and featured in promotions of the project. This text situated the work within broader discussions on environmental art and public engagement. Cohn’s involvement helped to articulate the significance of the installation in relation to the urgent issues of climate change and the role of art in inspiring collective action.
“Fernández’s work is rooted in a historical lineage of artists that seek to mobilize and enact spaces of learning that are socially and relationally dynamic. She views those who take part as ‘active citizens having real concern about the subject at hand.’ Her use of metaphoric water-filled pillars allows for 'radical speculations about how the future might be constituted. The convening of ‘speculative and playful conversations between individuals who would not generally speak together can be potentially transforming…with props taken seriously as performative knowledge making.”
– From Imagine, 2020, Terri Cohn. Project description for Ana Teresa Fernández
Ana Teresa Fernández, On the Horizon, R&D maquette image, early 2020.
On the Horizon has been the subject of several reviews, including in the San Francisco Chronicle in 2021. An interview with Terri Cohn is featured in the article Art Carries Water To Our Horizon, by Lujain Al-Saleh in Knee Deep Times, 2021.
“It was an interesting metaphor of how things will go. In the end, the ocean is going to have its way. Sometimes beautiful and extraordinary things can also be devastating.”
Terri Cohn, Art Carries Water To Our Horizon, Knee Deep Times, December 21st, 2021