Ms. Hollander is not making light of climate change, but rather acknowledging its presence in our lives. Bracing for superstorms “has to become more of a pedestrian routine and less of an emergency procedure,” she said, noting the growing frequency of so-called 500-year floods. “It’s already our reality, and we may as well get really good at it.” In that spirit, she envisions “Ouroboros” as a poetic and pragmatic demonstration, not as a high-stress drill.

The Whitney’s flood mitigation system, including the wall (or mobile barrier system), was developed after Hurricane Sandy, about a year into construction on the new building. The storm filled the recently excavated basement with 30 feet of water, revealing the need for stronger flood protection.

“It’s a really beautiful system in itself,” Ms. Hollander said of the wall, which, when fully assembled, wraps around the front of the museum. Eager to take it out of hiding, she installed one portion for the duration of the biennial, on the western corner of the front steps — the building’s first point of contact with water in the event of a flood.

“Ouroboros” arrives during a busy year for Ms. Hollander, in which she is both branching out and returning to her roots: as a ballet dancer on the proscenium stage. Having worked mostly at the intersection of dance and visual art, she recently made her first foray into Hollywood, bringing her eye for expressive gesture to the set of Jordan Peele’s “Us.” Hired to choreograph an ominous ballet scene inspired by “The Nutcracker,” she stayed on as a movement consultant, developing signature physical vocabularies for the characters’ dueling selves.