The Debt

The Debt is an art performance that took place on the slopes of the Ok volcano in Iceland in September 2022. This symbolic location marks the site where in 2014, the first Icelandic glacier succumbed to rising temperatures. In this performance, Boccanegra addresses the urgent need for policy and legislative changes to address the impact of polluting industries, particularly in relation to their deceptive practices.

The performance revolves around the concept of the Carbon Footprint and the manipulation of individual responsibility for environmental impact. Boccanegra's exploration began when he was prompted to neutralize the CO2 emissions of his flight to Iceland. Using an alternative Carbon Footprint calculator, he discovered that his flight would indirectly result in melting approximately 1 ton (1000 kg) of ice.

Rather than feeling guilty or committing to never fly again, Boccanegra became intrigued by the underlying intention to make individuals feel responsible for their environmental impact while diverting attention from the significantly larger carbon footprints of polluting industries. This led him to discover the origin of the Carbon Footprint concept, which was devised in 2004 by British Petroleum (BP), an oil company. It was an insidious but highly successful attempt to divert attention from their carbon footprint by tricking us, the individual, to focus on our impact. The absurdity of this situation, an oil giant telling us to do better while they’re simply continuing their polluting practices, made him abandon his original project and focus on this debt of 1 ton of ice that he would supposedly melt

In response to this absurd practice, Boccanegra devised an equally absurd performance. Over 6 days, he collected 1000 liters of meltwater from Icelandic glaciers and refroze it into 200 ice bars, each weighing 5 kg. He then personally went up the Ok Volcano (33 times) to put the ice bars back where the Okjokull Glacier once stood. The performance ended when Boccanegra placed the final ice cube on top of the volcano, symbolically clearing his "debt" of melting 1 ton of ice.

The Debt challenges the deceptive practices of polluting industries and highlights the need for systemic change rather than placing undue burden on individual actions. By undertaking this performance, Boccanegra aims to provoke contemplation and stimulate dialogue around corporate responsibility and the urgent need for collective action to address environmental challenges.