Studio Orta

First installed in Antarctica by Lucy + Jorge Orta during their 2007 expedition, the “Antarctica Flag” represents a kaleidoscope of different nations, as if through the filter of a prism, the flag concentrates all the national colours into the sum of light…. All identities coexist, side by side, hand in hand. The edges blend, symbolising belonging to a larger common identity. It could be the flag of a new World Community, to be raised as a supranational emblem of human rights.

Le Havre Ville Monde is the title given to Lucy + Jorge Orta’s major city-wide installation across the French sea port of Le Havre, offering visitors a route lined with 78 monumental Antarctica Flags. The flags interconnect the different architectural icons of Le Havre, including the City Hall, its parapet adorned with the colours of Antarctica, as well as the Frissard Wharf, the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, the Tourneville Fort and Pasino, as well as the art centres Tetris and Portique, which also play host to solo exhibitions of the artists work. Finally, the Volcano, home of the cultural masterpiece by the famous Brazilian architect Oscar Niemeyer, its foreboding iceberg form reminds us of the current melting ice caps as a consequence of climate change. The flags capping the Volcano cultural centre are a strong symbol, reminding us of the fragility of our planet.