Institute of Contemporary Arts

She Flickered  In and Out of History is a new video and mixed-media installation by interdisciplinary artist Elisa Giardina Papa (b. Italy; lives and works in New York, U.S., and Sant’Ignazio, Sicily). 

In 1831, an underwater volcanic eruption gave rise to a new landform between Tunisia and Sicily, sparking a violent sovereignty dispute among European powers. Six months later, the island vanished beneath the surface. She Flickered In and Out of History explores the geological, mythological and political temporalities of the Mediterranean through the historical and speculative story of this island that refused to be annexed.

Giardina Papa filmed the work on Mount Etna, Stromboli, and along the submerged slopes of the Mediterranean volcanic islands. It is presented on a large, free-standing LED screen, alongside a series of sculptures and photographs. A poem, spoken in Sicilian and set to an original score by New York-based composer duendita, threads through the visual narrative, weaving together historical records with reflections on decolonial and queer temporalities. The poem, composed by Megan Fernandes from Giardina Papa’s film script and archival research, lyrically meditates on the island’s eruptive emergence and subsequent refusal.