The butterfly effect theory, popularized in the early 1960’s by Edward Lorenz, a
meteorologist, shows that a slight change in “an initial conditions system” can lead to a succession of unpredictable effects. He introduced a mathematic data in his program of weather forecast which presented a tiny change of a thousandth degree: it provoked a whole different scheme with exponential curves, describing butterfly’s wings.
The butterfly effect comes into play in manyfields, such as human societies. Globalization, hyper connection, information overloadhave created today’s society and initial conditions conducive to an uncontrolled circle. If in 1914, one flap of a butterfly’s wing (the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand) caused World War I, today, a tweet is the triggering factor of the Arab Spring.
Looking at History with lucidity, as a phenomenon of chain reactions out of control, suddenly highlights our daily fear of changeover. How many gestures, how many words misunderstood? Do we destroy unconsciously? Are we destroying without even knowing it? Fast enough, these questions have been taken over by Art, using the butterfly effect as a narrative mechanism, from frivolity to chaos. Gesture of remembrance and inner fights, sixteen artists explore the torments ofone flap of a butterfly’s wing.
Beyond the notions of right or wrong, positive or negative, it feeds the creative process itself: “illuminations”, “revelations”, “inspirations”, stereotypes to talk about creation, are nothing but the result of various fluxes, exceeding the human spirit and sciences, but initially, they were surely
determinate by accurate elements. Growing up during the journey, they modified its destination.
Eventually, if artists use it in a particular way, we all experience this “Lepidoptera” effect: we call it chance encounters, goodness, fate or even luck. And yet, as meteorologists phenomena, they just reveal our inability, even with the best satellites, to forecast tomorrow’s conditions or to predict what life
will bring.