Georg Tiller

Bothnian Sea Continues is a recording of a performance from the 2004 Luleå Winter Biennial by artist Georg Tiller. The original performance centred on a large piece of locally extracted ice that was placed in the swimming pool of Pontusbadet whilst the artist sat on the melting ice surrounded by swimmers.

In 2004 landscape artist Georg Tiller and his colleague Franz Amann were invited for a commission to the Luleå Winter Biennial. The winter biennial centred on artistic works involving ice, snow, and landscape art. The following instructions formed part of Tiller’s proposal.

An ice plate of 1.5m diameter is cut out of the Bothnia Sea.
It is transported to a public swimming pool.
The process of melting starts.
Spectators are welcome.

Witnesses to Tiller’s original performance recall that it took less than an hour for the 1.5m diameter piece of ice in Pontusbadet to melt. Eighteen years later, due to the rise in global temperatures, the way we interpret and think of ice is also rapidly changing as it slowly but violently melts around us, with unpredictable consequences for life.

Georg Tiller is a filmmaker, producer, writer, and visual artist based in Vienna, Austria.