Spectral Landscapes

About the exhibition

Erich Berger’s exhibition Spectral Landscapes presents three distinct installations: Spectral Landscapes, Landscape Machines, and Anthropomemes. Each installation integrates multiple elements—data-driven sound, video, and digitally augmented images—that together form a series of observations and observatories that explore radioactivity within the landscape. Through this work, Berger examines profound questions about time, scale, and the boundaries of human experience within the broader context of the Anthropocene.

Over recent years, Berger has spent considerable time in the field, investigating sites with elevated levels of radioactivity. Many of these locations have been assessed for their potential in mining uranium or rare earth elements. The source of the radiation in these landscapes is the natural decay of uranium and thorium mineralizations found in the bedrock. At these sites, radiation forms distinct, curiously shaped bodies that emerge from the earth—features of the landscape that remain invisible but intricately connected to it.

Though unseen, these radiation bodies are integral to the planet’s processes over vast geological time scales. They align with the forces that shape the Earth—continental drift, the biogenic accumulation of atmospheric oxygen, the folding of mountain ranges, and their eventual weathering. They also trace the contours of geophysical forms, shaping the landscapes we see today.

Berger refers to these bodies as “spectral”, evoking their ghostly presence that can only be detected through technological means. They are also spectral in the literal sense—fields of photons, though existing in parts of the spectrum invisible to the human eye.

Ultimately, these spectral bodies also reveal the presence of valuable mineral resources, triggering cycles of extraction, contamination, and environmental exploitation.

Spectral Landscapes reflects Berger’s keen interest in how different temporal scales manifest in the landscape, especially in an era where human activity is rapidly transforming the conditions for life—both now and in the future.