Iceline by Oona Stern

Featured Installation: Iceline

By Oona Stern (USA)
Location: Lane 20 & Florence Street, Palo Alto

Iceline captures the Arctic Ocean at the threshold between above and below the water, offering a portal into the intricate beauty of a dynamic and rapidly changing environment.

Filmed in Liefdefjorden, Svalbard, the video reveals a sea filled with ice debris - fragments that have broken away from the Monacobreen tidewater glacier and drift toward the open ocean to melt. This journey highlights the natural cycles of water, while also reflecting the real and urgent effects of climate change: melting polar ice caps, rising sea levels, and increasingly frequent extreme weather events.

The installation is interactive, responding to the presence and movement of viewers. When people are scattered or absent, the ice moves rapidly, accompanied by a dissonant soundscape. But when visitors gather together, the imagery slows and the audio becomes harmonious and calm. The message is clear: collective action matters. Human presence - and cooperation - directly influences the world around us.

About the Artist

Oona Stern is a visual artist whose installations draw attention to the cultural and environmental forces shaping the spaces we inhabit. Blending drawing, architecture, and nature, her work introduces elements of the outdoors into both urban and private realms. Using materials like advertising posters, neon, and photography, she explores the intersection of nature and culture in everyday life.

She collaborates with Cheryl E. Leonard, a composer and sound artist, to create multimedia works that explore the natural environment, offering insight into the unique characteristics of remote regions. The project also includes interactive software development by Jesse Johnson, enhancing the viewer's connection with the piece.

Direction & Video: Oona Stern
Audio Composition: Cheryl E. Leonard
Software: Jesse Johnson

Free and open to the public
Code:ART 2025 • October 16–25
Nightly | 6-10 p.m.
October 16-18 - Meet the Artists