About the collective
Elephants & Volcanoes is an international interdisciplinary artist collective.
Our goal is to find the truth through creativity. We test our perspectives by bringing them to the world through artistic expression.
We are 6 friends mutually inspiring and challenging each other with our different backgrounds, disciplines, shared dreams and overlapping philosophies about life.
The collective is for us a way to express these takes on life in a creative way.
By combining our individual skill sets, we found an ever changing, self-reinventing format that, so far, has taken on the shape of projects such as Come Conciencia (San Sebastian + NY, 2013) and The Seed of Time (Altamura, IT, 2015).
We try to let current experiences flow into our work, keeping our processes organic and thus making our future projects unpredictable, a mystery actually, also to us. We are very excited about this!
Our format welcomes other friends and artists for project-based collaboration.
Recurring topics in our work are empathy, the future of our society, the soul, reflection, truth.
Techniques that are the base of our collective are
photography, science, culinary art, visual art, music, architecture, art direction and design.
Founding Members
Annika Kappner
Visual artist
1980, Berlin, Germany
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Annika is a visual artist interested patterns of perception. Prompted by her experience as investment banker, her work deals with the evolution of consciousness in relation to mental patterns and their counterpart in nature, visual arts, technology and science. She frequently collaborates with artists and researchers from different fields.
Giacomo Garziano
Architect
1981, Altamura, Italy
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Giacomo is an architect working primarily in the Netherlands. His architectural practice, GG-loop, works with an interdisciplinary and international approach on projects ranging from urban planning to industrial design to biotechnology research. GG-loop is also involved in art projects embracing various creative fields, such as video installations, digital sculpture and music performances.
Eric Maltz
Pianist, Composer
1980, New York City, USA
Berlin, Germany
Eric is a pianist and electronic producer based in Berlin, Germany who focuses on writing experimental film music, soundscapes for art installations, compositions for chefs, and giving solo piano recitals in cities around the world. Always aware of the living nature of sound, Eric seeks out and highlights the natural pulse of any project he is involved in.
Monica Kisic
Scientist, Chef, Artist
1982, Lima, Peru
Berlin, Germany
Monica is a scientist, chef and artist. She works to connect food-making with anthropology, taste and habits, culture, sound, visual arts, and space. She is constantly searching for a gastronomy that goes beyond the palate and works collaboratively with artists from a variety of disciplines to further her work.
Michael Sieber
Photographer
1976, Kandersteg, Switzerland
Zürich, Switzerland
Michael is a photographer who grew up in Kandersteg, Switzerland. After graduating, he worked as an assistant for reputable photographers in their work. Since 2005 he has been working as a freelance photographer, focusing mainly on portraits, landscapes and reportage. "Through photography my eyes are wide open, thereby my mind is wide open."
Clovis Wieske
Art director, Designer
1980, Willemstad, Curaçao
Zürich, Switzerland
Clovis is a graphic designer and art director living in Switzerland and working mainly in Berlin, Amsterdam, and Zurich. He has a passion for conceptualizing and bringing innovative ideas into fruition and works with a range of clients and collaborators, from design studios and creative agencies to cultural organizations and artists.
Collaborating artists
Juliana Gomez
Video director, photographer
1984, Bogota, Colombia
Cali, Colombia
Juliana is a film maker and video artist living and working in Bogota, Colombia. Her latest project, No Water for Whales, is a collaborative visual art project that aims to capture sensory landscapes that are faithful to the unrepeatable nature of the shoots, and the collaborators involved; to show shooting as performance.
Collaboration
— The Seed of Time
Loïc Perela
Choreographer, Dancer
1983, Castres, France
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Loïc is a choreographer and performer currently living and working in Rotterdam. By using choreography as an art form, he wants to raise awareness in himself, the performers, and the audience about our human condition and what surrounds us.
Collaboration
— The Seed of Time
Min Li
Fashion designer, Dancer
1982, Beijing, China
Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Min is an artist who has lived and worked in China, America, Israel and the Netherlands. Having different life experiences fills Li with inspiration and he has followed this path to be both a fashion designer and a professional dancer. Li aims to continue working in an interdisciplinary framework as he builds his art and design practice.
Collaboration
— The Seed of Time
— Firnocene
Nate Mars
Producer, Music technologist
1980, New York City, USA
New York City, USA
Nate is a producer, music technologist and immersive content creator based in New York City. Nate is passionate about artist-to-artist music education, specifically helping inspire other producers to achieve their music production goals through collaboration and technology. He is also passionate about using immersive mediums like Virtual Reality for creative
expression. Currently holds a position as consulting VP of Marketing for SpaceoutVR, Content and Social Media lead for Thrival Festival and Event and Content Specialist for Microsoft.
Collaboration
— Firnocene
Elena Ciarloni
Dresser, Costume maker
1985, Jesi, Italy
—
Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Elena is an Italian Dresser and Costumes maker based in Amsterdam. She works as dresser for film and television Productions and she recently decided to focus more on costumes making. she is studying cutting technique and tailoring at “Meesteroplehding Coupeur“ in Amsterdam. She has experience also in event promotions. She will be collaborating in the setting up of the space.
Collaboration
— Firnocene
Chusi Amorós
Dancer, Theatre maker
1987, Lima, Peru
—
London, United Kingdom
Chusi is a dancer, circus performer and theatre maker, based in London. Her work seeks an active audience across a variety of narratives, with a particular interest in immersive and cross-sensory experiences. Her passion for movement and devising has led her to work with many interdisciplinary artists and companies in Lima and London. Her background in aerial dance is the reason for her obsession with the use of verticality in space. She is currently finishing her Postgraduate studies in Advanced Theatre Practice at the Royal Central School of Speech and Drama.
Collaboration
— Firnocene