Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara is deeply committed to honoring our community’s leadership in the global environmental movement. We continue to honor the importance of this work by commissioning artists to address the varied environmental concerns and realities that affect us all as humans living in the 21st Century.
“In 1969, the devastating images of a massive oil spill from an oil platform off Santa Barbara’s coast galvanized California into action and caught the attention of the rest of the nation, including Senator Gaylord Nelson, founder of Earth Day, who visited Santa Barbara shortly after the spill. The resulting swell of outrage and concern gave rise to the first Earth Day in 1970” (and our colleagues at the Community Environmental Council).
the wind is heavy which blows between a horse’s ears
This title is an amended version of the Arabian proverb: “The wind of heaven is that which blows between a horse’s ears.” It plays on the irony of humankind’s iconography and respect for horses and the land with its concurrent physical disrespect of horses and the land they gallop on.
the wind is heavy which blows between a horse’s ears by California based Artist Cole Sternberg is a continuation of his conceptual dialog, The Free Republic of California. This forthcoming intervention serves as the inaugural installation of the Museum of Contemporary Art Santa Barbara’s Facade Project, activating the glass doors of the museum on the Paseo Nuevo Arts Terrace, and the museum’s Chapala Street storefront storage, to bring art to the passerby while helping with museum wayfinding and audience development.
The artwork juxtaposes two seemingly disparate visuals: the serenity of a horse in a pasture and text “leap” and “treat engineered generational trauma”. Yet, these elements are deeply intertwined, both symbolically and specifically. The horse, Red, is a packhorse who has endured his own trauma—falling on the job, nearly dying, and now rendered unable to work due to PTSD. He now lives on land reclaimed after years of chemical poisoning, a poignant metaphor for recovery and resilience.
Engineered trauma manifests in countless forms: institutional violence, warmongering, environmental destruction. We hide under desks to shield ourselves from both earthquakes and mass shootings. Our homes are consumed by wildfires and bombings. These burdens, heavy and omnipresent, demand acknowledgment—and perhaps, healing.
The artist is preparing a complementary zine discussing the theories of the work in various literary formats which will be available in a newspaper stand at the Museum. Learn more on our website.
We welcome everyone at our events. Please contact dgarcia@mcasantabarbara.org for your access needs or special requests.
Todxs son bienvenidxs a nuestros eventos. Por favor póngase en contacto con dgarcia@mcasantabarbara.org para notificarnos de alguna acomodación de discapacidad o solicitud en particular.
