Forward and Down

Salena Barry is Jerwood Writer in Residence from July 2022 – December 2022. This is her final text produced as part of her residency which circumnavigates an image of drowned subway cars from Cyprien Gaillard’s Ocean II Ocean (shown at Palais de Tokyo, Paris) in light of the climate crisis and the growing intelligence of AI.

Salena Barry

Each one is efficiently and unceremoniously lifted by a neighbouring crane and then released into the ocean. After the initial splash, each car bobs up as water swells into its cavities. It is as if they are giving a concluding salute to the world of light, speed, grime and human bodies. One last gasp before beginning its descent into the blue.”