Coco Bergholm

What makes change possible? Can only the grand gestures effect change, or is there inherent potential for alteration in even the tiniest movement – such as the flap of a wing? This question is explored by Coco Bergholm in her solo exhibition THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT.

The term "Butterfly Effect" comes from the US meteorologist Edward Norton Lorenz, who in 1972 gave a scientific lecture with the following title: "Predictability: Does the Flap of a Butterfly's Wings in Brazil set off a Tornado in Texas?" From his research presented here, it became clear that the smallest variations in a dynamic deterministic process, such as in a weather model, can lead to very large differences later on. This sensitive dependence on initial conditions thus became known as the butterfly effect and ultimately paved Lorenz's way into Chaos Theory.

Coco Bergholm now tests the phenomenon of the butterfly effect on a figurative-conceptual level. Thus she uses the allegorical image of the butterfly effect to bring the viewer closer to the idea of our own power to act. Her painted butterflies master the 'art' of mimesis, mimicry and mutation. We could take this as an opportunity to ask questions about our possibilities for development: To what extent are we willing or able to adapt to circumstances? Do we succumb to our inertia or are we able to flexibly and consciously engage with the new? And – does change perhaps always mean trans-form-ation?

In addition to the painted butterflies, the exhibition THE BUTTERFLY EFFECT opens up a multitude of other spaces for reflection. In one of her works, Bergholm presents a series of selected key moments in the form of stories that can be listened to as a podcast. In this, she explores, like a sociological study, which impulse was decisive for radical change in each case. References to the theme of change are presented in a Fanzine with a collection of texts and images, and installations partly invite interaction and transformations. In this way, each individual can trace the extent to which something new can perhaps only form when given structures are questioned.

(Text: Helene Osbahr)