Lea Novi

Somewhere Else is Closer Than You Think is a poetic-documentary journey exploring the extinction of Germany’s former largest glacier located at the Zugspitze. Growing up in a hiking culture, I have returned repeatedly to the Zugspitze, observing how insects move higher, plants vanish, and rivers change color. What once felt familiar now reveals the vulnerability of the alpine ecosystem. Through multiple human and more than human voices, like the path of the water, perspectives of scientists, a tourism company, a formerly extreme hiker, and migrating butterfly, the project weaves a narrative about coexistence, loss, and fiction. It invites to listen closely to details, to whispers of change and to imagine our role in shaping the future of this landscape.

Text for sonic installation by Julia Wilhelm, voice by Jana Herrmann. Music for the video in by RATHER.