Kai Balthasar Wittig: phoenix_404 v0.25

Is there a balance between people, nature and the future when dealing with technological developments? This question is the focus of HfK student Kai Balthasar Wittig's audiovisual installation “phoenix_404 v0.25” at the Kulturkirche Bremerhaven (March 1 to 23, 2025). This further development of the work, which will occupy the entire Hall 1 of Speicher XI A of the HfK Bremen in September 2024, is the first solo exhibition in the Kulturkirche as part of the 2025 annual theme “What the fuck is Heimat?”.

In his futuristic video and sound installation, Wittig explores and modifies the nave with projections of melting ice tiles and boiling water, digitally alienated and edited audio recordings of thunderstorms and water noises as well as plastic crackling and psychedelic music. This audiovisual experience is complemented by sculptures made of glass, wax and 3D prints, the patterns of which were created from digitally processed photos of the shell of a tridacna (giant clam). Some of the objects are packed in vacuum bags filled with water, which lie and hang opposite each other on the floor in a grid aligned with centimeter precision.

With his expansive installation, Wittig stages a dystopian vision of the effects of climate change on our planet and at the same time shows ways in which this can (still) be counteracted.

The exhibition takes its name from the Phoenix firebird, which emerges from its

The exhibition is named after the firebird Phoenix, which rises again and again from its own ashes and thus embodies the rebirth loop of nature, which - despite all technological developments - is not possible for humans. The title suffix “404” refers to the online error message that appears when a user accesses an invalid or no longer existing website. In the combination “phoenix_404”, Wittig contrasts the human longing for the impossible with the slow but steady destruction of planet Earth by human hands. With the addition of “v0.25”, he refers to the early beta version of the threat of climate change. The term beta version refers to a version that has not yet been completed and has already passed through an alpha stage, the first test runs. This means that the program can be used in its basic function, but is not yet fully operational. Advanced versions could follow quickly. Wittig's installation shows that we are already living in such a beta version. It symbolizes and documents the imminent danger of advancing climate change and calls for action.

The core message of the installation initially appears to contradict the material used, but Wittig collects polystyrene scraps, plastic bags and foil in his archive in order to use them again and again. He melts down wax figures, the vacuum bags are cut open after the individual projects, later reduced in size and refilled, and the resulting remnants are used for new installations to ensure his own ecological footprint in and with his art. Like the firebird itself, the “phoenix_404” series is constantly growing out of itself.

Opening: 1.3.2025, 4 pm

Introduction: Dr. Lena Reichelt (Director Kulturkirche Bremerhaven) and Kai Balthasar Wittig

Musical accompaniment: Aleksandr Bukin on the cello

Panel discussion: 8.3.2025, 4 pm

Kai Balthasar Wittig

Uwe Baumhauer (Seamen's Pastor, German Seamen's Mission Bremerhaven)

Miriam Gieseking (Quartermaster Lehe, afz)

Joel Schroth (Education Officer, Klimahaus Bremerhaven)

Moderation: Dr. Lena Reichelt (Head of Kulturkirche Bremerhaven)

Finissage: 23.3.2025, 10 am

Cultural service and café

Location: Kulturkirche Bremerhaven, Pauluskirche

Hafenstr. 124

27576 Bremerhaven

Opening hours: Thu, Fri, Sat: 4-7 p.m./ Sun: 11 a.m.-3 p.m.

Admission is free, donations are requested.