Carla’s research into knots, time, and the sea began with her involvement in civil rescue operations in the Mediterranean.
During her residency on Suomenlinna, the artist continued to explore time through knotting and splicing techniques. She used ropes she received from fishermen and ropemakers in Åland. She also employed other techniques for keeping time, such as sea shanties and work songs.
Since 2024, Carla Tapparo has been active in civil rescue work in the Mediterranean. Part of her training involved learning to tie knots, a skill she learned from seafarers who willingly shared their knowledge. In mathematical knot theory, the simplest knot is a circle known as the trivial knot. Circles are often used as metaphors for cyclical movements in nature, such as the changing of the seasons. A line, on the other hand, can be understood as a representation of linear and progressive time, which is connected to capitalism and colonialism.
The knots turned out to be a way of communicating with time and of using the entanglements, simultaneity, and asynchronous processes of spacetime and matter. The deep sea’s temporalities raise questions about the autonomy of the ocean and how it is challenged by human actions.
