For Expanded-Scapes (Leopoldskazerne, Ghent, 2009), I have shown recent works on generic spaces. Using maps and construction sites as underlying ground-works of the generic template, I create improbable spaces where imaginary/virtual flows (traffic, circulation, communication, economic exchanges) are the only inhabitants.
More pictures from Expanded-Scapes here!
More from Generic there!
mural painting in my studio, Leopoldskazerne, Ghent, 2009
(work in progress)
Towards a generic vision is the working title of the proposal I made for the joint project on the notion of territory within the Threeplusone collective.
Recently, I started questioning the structures embedding the non-places. By what kind of territory and architecture are they generated? Mostly found in world-wide metropolis, these environments can be characterized by:
The space becomes invisible, nonexistent, generic, in opposition to a virtuality which becomes more and more personalized, individualized.
My intention is to produce works (paintings, drawings, installation,..) where these notions would appear by pushing further the process of emptying; towards a systematisation, a generic approach of the generic space self.
sketch for generic
Some displacement happens, we are now working in our new space, a floor under the previous one! Not much change unless that it’s not temporary anymore!
While thinking about new possibilities (should we have a coffee table? should I make a fresco inspired by Rem Koolhaas reflections on Generic city?), I had the visit of Dredd for his project “Artists in The World. The Never Ending Trip Art” which collects pictures of artists in their studio’s. There are my collegues from the Leopold’s kazerne and much more from Rotterdam, Berlin,…
Photo by Dredd
2009: my first Transmediale ever!
Topic: Deep North.
Mmmmh, was not sure about the trendy title but finally there is much more in this that I thought! Not the best exhibition display but some good works and very good debates. I never thought that a media art festival (usually used to be self-centered) could bring so much political, social and ecological engagement.
I will not reveal yet what exact direction it will make me take (but I can already say that I’m quite busy researching on generic architecture and activism in urban environment). However, I can already point at projects I saw there and that I really want to share (of course some received an award).
Michiko Nitta: Extreme Green Guerillas
This design project takes current green trends to the extreme. By proposing a community of people called “Extreme Green Guerillas” (E.G.G.), Michiko gives “a critical point of view on the current general green visions, because many green activities are used as a medium of consumerism.”
Therefore, she proposes extreme green solutions for sending messages (no emails, mobile phones or postal ways are allowed), eating (no CO2 footprints) and overpopulation (death at 40 years old).
Don’t forget: WE MUST NOT CONSUME WE MUST BE CONSUMED
Reynold Reynolds: Six apartment
This video project presents a view of six persons isolated in their own apartment with their own loneliness. A voice over of radio news talking about diseases and consequences of climate change is the only contact with the outside world, while these persons stand still in their own drift.
It makes of course echoes to our inability to act and our isolated lives in urban environment which (will) constitutes over to 80% of human environment.
Besides these projects, there is of course a lot more.. Just to give some names: HeHe with “Nuage Vert“, the “Tantalum Memorial” dedicated to the deaths caused by the Coltan war,…
Luckily, besides these serious issues, there was Club Transmediale! And the ArtKillArt party, and … well, welcome to the never ending festival!
Juan, Hallveig and I are participating at the Panoramatic group exhibition at Espace Ladda, Ghent. There will be up to 89 artists with commissioned works (panels in fact) which will hanged in a kind of panoramic way.
Opening on Friday 13 FEB 2009 at Espace Ladda, the temporary gallery next to Vooruit in Ghent!
From this Monday 5th of January until 27th February 09, some paintings of the anywhere reloaded project are exhibited in Nucleo’s office in Ghent. You can visit it during working hours from Monday till Friday.
Nucleo develops affordable, good quality studios in the city of Ghent and its surroundings for artists active in various art disciplines. I could rent a temporary studio from them this year, located in the beautiful Leopold Caserne.
contact: info@nucleo.be
Adress: Nucleo vzw
Lange Violettestraat 237-239
9000 Ghent, Belgium
photos: Kristina Ianatchkova
Here are some pictures of recent works in progress (they still need to be finished after being mounted on board).
After exploring and revealing specific qualities of the non-place self (heterogeneity, reflective surfaces, geometricity) by hollowing out the space of its recognizable elements, I try now to go deeper in the merge of surfaces. I’d like to lead the image to a certain state of in-between, between something recognizable and something where all directions would have been erasing.
This week-end, Juan Duque and I opened the door of our new atelier in Ghent where we showed our work in progress and research materials on the topic of contemporary landscape. We presented both video works, Juan showed also drawings and an installation in the studio and I presented my photographic and painting works.
Here is a little text about Juan:
Architect and Urban Designer with studies in Media Art, Juan Duque works on the ‘visuality’ of the Landscape and the process of ‘decontextualization’, ‘alteration’ or migration of the images. Implementing different media, his work focuses on research on ‘extended’ landscapes resulting from digital or physical alterations and distortions.
http://www.betweencorners.blogspot.com
It was quite interesting to present different approaches of the contemporary landscape in general and I’m really curious to see how our collaboration will evolve. I’d like to experiment more things in my video work and to propose a collaborative screening on this topic.
Finally, even if I was missing some friendly faces, we could say that it was a success, lot of people and some good feedbacks. Long life to the OA!
ps: thanks to Hallveig G.K. Agustsdottir for the pictures!
