Zero Hidrográphico

Brazilian artists Gisela Motta and Leandro Lima presented a work inspired by the sea in 2014. The title, Zero Hidrográfico, is the Portuguese term for the average sea level. In the Netherlands, we use NAP: the Normaal Amsterdams Peil (Normal Amsterdam Level) for the same purpose. Because the water level fluctuates due to tides, wind, and precipitation, standardization is necessary to determine the depth of waterways and create nautical charts.

Using sixty lamps interconnected in a strict grid, the artists mimic the undulating water surface. With this, they not only create an ever-changing interplay of lines but also allude to the fact that the sea’s zero level is not fixed. Global warming is causing the sea level to slowly rise, and in the future, the NAP might be higher. Zero Hidrográfico shows that coordinate systems, maps, and measurement data are not absolute but, like the sea, remain in motion.