CircumSolar, Migration 1 video follows the migration of the arctic tern, a small sea bird that has the longest migration of all living beings on earth, flying from the Arctic to the Antarctic and back again each year. As such, it experiences two polar summers of 24-hour daylight each year, which makes it the one creature in the world that lives the most daylight. With the tern as its protagonist, CircumSolar, Migration 1 looks to explore larger themes critical to our time, such as the unstoppable force of migration; the ecological concern of climate change and other man-made detritus; the geopolitics of the changing landscapes of coastal lands and the Arctic and Antarctic regions; and at the limit of what is known, the role of the archetypal explorer, who goes beyond to bring back the boon to benefit all.
CircumSolar, Migration 1, 2013; single channel video projected at architectural scale; 26 minutes, 20 seconds.
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
![]()
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited at Glow, an all-night arts event in Santa Monica beach, on September 28, 2013, 7pm–3am. Rebeca is the first artist-in-residence of Glow. The work is a single channel, 30-minute video projection onto a 25-feet diameter screen, raised above the sand on a circular truss. Interviews on each one of the 14 artists featured: KCRW-GLOW
Glow, the first all-night arts event in the United States to emphasize the commissioning of new work, transformed the beach in Santa Monica on September 28, 2013 into a world of interactive and engaging contemporary art. Every three years, for just one night, Glow features an extraordinary array of original, site-specific installations by local and international artists. Ranging from the haunting traditional music of the Javanese Gamelan to the most technologically advanced interactive artworks, Glow celebrates the exceptional ability of artists to activate and shape public space. Fifteen site-specific installations re-shaped the beach, Pier and downtown Santa Monica. Produced by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation, Glow is entirely free to the public through major funding from partners and donors including the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Metabolic Studio, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Glow’s website provides valuable information on the art, artists and logistics of making a visit easy and enjoyable, including an audio guide to all the installations.
![]()
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited as a single channel video projection on a 15 feet circular screen at Muziekgebouw, TrouwAmsterdam, May 20–June 1, 2014. The exhibition at Trouw represents the first time this work is shown accompanied by an exclusive composition by Ben Frost, who in the evening on May 20th will be performing his new album A U R O R A, for which Méndez designed the album cover.
![]()
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited as a four channel video projection of 30 x 100 feet at 'Due North / í Nor∂ur', January 9 – 25, 2014. Due North is an international collaboration envisioned by artist-curator Marianne Bernstein, with whom we shared a house in Skagaströnd, Iceland during our stay with Nes Artist Residency. In January 2014, the Icebox Project Space in Philadelphia (one of the largest independent exhibition venues in the city) was transformed into a winterscape featuring video and prints created by a selected group of international artists.
Exhibition History:
Muziekgebouw / Rebeca Méndez, TrouwAmsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 20–June 1, 2014, curated by Kim Tuin (group).
Yokahama Triennial 2014, in Here There Be Tyggers at Gallery Lara, Tokyo, Japan. October 25–November 1, 2014. Curated by Kio Griffith (group).
Due North / í Nor∂ur, Icebox Project Space, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 9–25, 2014, curated by Marianne Bernstein (group).
Glow 2013, Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California, September 27, 2013, a 24-hour event, curated by Marc Pally, David Familian, Meg Linton, Pilar Tompkins Rivas, and Stephen Nowlin (group).
CircumSolar, Migration 1, 2013; single channel video projected at architectural scale; 26 minutes, 20 seconds.
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited at Glow, an all-night arts event in Santa Monica beach, on September 28, 2013, 7pm–3am. Rebeca is the first artist-in-residence of Glow. The work is a single channel, 30-minute video projection onto a 25-feet diameter screen, raised above the sand on a circular truss. Interviews on each one of the 14 artists featured: KCRW-GLOW
Glow, the first all-night arts event in the United States to emphasize the commissioning of new work, transformed the beach in Santa Monica on September 28, 2013 into a world of interactive and engaging contemporary art. Every three years, for just one night, Glow features an extraordinary array of original, site-specific installations by local and international artists. Ranging from the haunting traditional music of the Javanese Gamelan to the most technologically advanced interactive artworks, Glow celebrates the exceptional ability of artists to activate and shape public space. Fifteen site-specific installations re-shaped the beach, Pier and downtown Santa Monica. Produced by the City of Santa Monica and the Santa Monica Arts Foundation, Glow is entirely free to the public through major funding from partners and donors including the Bloomberg Philanthropies, Metabolic Studio, and the National Endowment for the Arts. Glow’s website provides valuable information on the art, artists and logistics of making a visit easy and enjoyable, including an audio guide to all the installations.
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited as a single channel video projection on a 15 feet circular screen at Muziekgebouw, TrouwAmsterdam, May 20–June 1, 2014. The exhibition at Trouw represents the first time this work is shown accompanied by an exclusive composition by Ben Frost, who in the evening on May 20th will be performing his new album A U R O R A, for which Méndez designed the album cover.
CircumSolar, Migration 1 was exhibited as a four channel video projection of 30 x 100 feet at 'Due North / í Nor∂ur', January 9 – 25, 2014. Due North is an international collaboration envisioned by artist-curator Marianne Bernstein, with whom we shared a house in Skagaströnd, Iceland during our stay with Nes Artist Residency. In January 2014, the Icebox Project Space in Philadelphia (one of the largest independent exhibition venues in the city) was transformed into a winterscape featuring video and prints created by a selected group of international artists.
Exhibition History:
Muziekgebouw / Rebeca Méndez, TrouwAmsterdam, Amsterdam, Netherlands, May 20–June 1, 2014, curated by Kim Tuin (group).
Yokahama Triennial 2014, in Here There Be Tyggers at Gallery Lara, Tokyo, Japan. October 25–November 1, 2014. Curated by Kio Griffith (group).
Due North / í Nor∂ur, Icebox Project Space, Crane Arts, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, January 9–25, 2014, curated by Marianne Bernstein (group).
Glow 2013, Santa Monica Beach, Los Angeles, California, September 27, 2013, a 24-hour event, curated by Marc Pally, David Familian, Meg Linton, Pilar Tompkins Rivas, and Stephen Nowlin (group).