Thursday, September 30, 2010

Tuesday, September 28, 2010

LichtRouten 2010 - Forum of Light in Fine Art and Design



Lichtrouten
International Forum of Light in Fine Art and Design
Lüdenscheid, Germany
24.9.-3.10.2010

Wunderkammers of Light
From September 24th to October 3rd, 2010, the fifth edition of the LichtRouten takes place in the public space of Luedenscheid. In the exhibition, art and design works which show excellence in the use of light as material or media, are presented throughout the city's center.
In 2010 works by Armsrock, Gudrun Barenbrock, Katherine Berndt, Christian and Andreas Breil Ermisch, Ghiju Diaz de Leon, Ali Heshmati and Lars-Meeß Olsohn with Philip Sydow, Olga Kisseleva, Thorbjørn Lausten, Dominik Lejman, Ocubo, Stefan Reusse, Sigrid Sandmann, Gebhard Sengmüller, Ursula Scherrer and Kurt Laurenz Theinert as well as by RaumZeitPiraten are on display. All works are created site-specific or adapted to the specifics of the locations. For the first time, the large-scale projections of Armsrock from Denmark, Ghiju Diaz de Leon from Mexico and Ocubo from Portugal are to be shown in Germany. New artistic concepts come from Ali Heshmati, Lars-Meeß Olsohn and Philip Sydow, Olga Kisseleva and Sylvain Reynal and Thorbjørn Lausten.
 In the choice of locations for the installations and interventions, the focus of LichtRouten 2010 is the development of the city during the industrialization, which since the mid-18th century has given the city a very unique face. The old administration building, the old district court, the old post office, the first department store, selected factories and selected houses and the landmark "Schützenhalle" (translates as "shooting gallery") date from the period of promoterism. In the artistic approach emerges a dialogue between past and present and in the collage of technical-industrial, economic, sociocultural and artistic values the art and design works act as a "double exposure" offering stunning sites and insights. (Press text). For more information: www.lichtrouten.de

 Film by Thomas Schielke

Sunday, September 26, 2010

VISAVIS No.3



A little while back i made a series of illustrations for the danish magazine "VISAVIS", here is an internet version of the publication, but please go to their website to order a physical one, it is a good project worth supporting. Below is some information on the publication and a link to their website.

Background
visAvis is a magazine that focuses on migration and asylum, produced by people with or without citizenship living in Denmark. From our point of view the policies regarding migration and asylum are repressive. People seeking refuge are made suspect and migrants are made illegal. The asylum process has become almost impossible, life in the camps close to unbearable. This has serious, literally fatal, consequences for the individual persons. And for society as a whole this presents serious problems. The rule of law is being undermined and the public debate is loosing its nuance. In this precarious situation we wish to raise the level of debate, enhance the quality of information, and create a space where it is possible for people seeking asylum to express what is on their mind.

Cooperation and the social dimension
visAvis is a cooperation between people in and outside the camps in Denmark. To create something together is enriching, both at a personal and political level, it breaks with the isolation in society created by the camps, and it expands the horizon for everybody involved. The process itself plays a significant role and is of the same importance as the result. It should be interesting, as well as entertaining and pleasant to participate.

The three pillars of visAvis
visAvis as a magazine consists of three pillars of equal importance:
1) Bringing forth the stories and reflections of the people seeking asylum.
2) Investigative and explanatory journalism that here can find the space and time to go deeper than daily media flows allow; and
3) Commentaries and essays of high quality both intellectually and in terms of entertainment, where arguments are developed and exchanged to raise the level of public debate;
On all levels we think to be filling a void and to have an important democratic task to fulfill.

for more information please go here

Monday, September 20, 2010

Invitation to "LichtRouten"



Wunderkammers of Light
From September 24th to October 3rd, 2010, the fifth edition of the LichtRouten takes place in the public space of Luedenscheid. In the exhibition, art and design works which show excellence in the use of light as material or media, are presented throughout the city’s center.

In 2010 works by Armsrock, Gudrun Barenbrock, Katherine Berndt, Christian and Andreas Breil Ermisch, Ghiju Diaz de Leon, Ali Heshmati and Lars-Meeß Olsohn with Philip Sydow, Olga Kisseleva, Thorbjørn Lausten, Dominik Lejman, Ocubo, Stefan Reusse, Sigrid Sandmann, Gebhard Sengmüller, Ursula Scherrer and Kurt Laurenz Theinert as well as by RaumZeitPiraten are on display. All works are created site-specific or adapted to the specifics of the locations. For the first time, the large-scale projections of Armsrock from Denmark, Ghiju Diaz de Leon from Mexico and Ocubo from Portugal are to be shown in Germany. New artistic concepts come from Ali Heshmati, Lars-Meeß Olsohn and Philip Sydow, Olga Kisseleva and Sylvain Reynal and Thorbjørn Lausten.

In the choice of locations for the installations and interventions, the focus of LichtRouten 2010 is the development of the city during the industrialization, which since the mid-18th century has given the city a very unique face. The old administration building, the old district court, the old post office, the first department store, selected factories and selected houses and the landmark “Schützenhalle” (translates as “shooting gallery”) date from the period of promoterism. In the artistic approach emerges a dialogue between past and present and in the collage of technical-industrial, economic, sociocultural and artistic values the art and design works act as a “double exposure” offering stunning sites and insights.

Introduction


Technical Developments and Societal Change
LichtRouten 2010 represents a connecting point between technical development and societal change. Working and living conditions changed during the 19th and 20th centuries in the wake of industrialisation. The codification of industrial work was accompanied by socio-cultural and urban space changes that were also shaped by a major contribution from art, design and architecture. Halls were built for machinery and production, new types of residential forms and quarters were developed and socio-cultural venues such as places of assembly and facilities for sports, education and events were redesigned. This resulted in changes in the urban environment as a living and working space that still characterise the appearance of Lüdenscheid today. LichtRouten 2010 represents an invitation to a dialogue on the past and the present with an eye on the important changes brought by digitalisation that are now altering living and working conditions with the same lasting effect that industrialisation had.

Art and Design in Public Space
As an exhibition format for art and design in public spaces, LichtRouten 2010 depicts works in which scientific and aesthetic phenomena, natural and technical possibilities and global developments along with a diversity of world views come together in very different artistic and design strategies. All of the works were either adapted or reconceived in the confrontation with the specific locations, their histories and socio-cultural implications. For the 10-day duration of the exhibition, the pieces will be integrated into existing urban environments and presented for discussion in public space.

Light as a Working Material
The invited artists and designers research and experiment with light as a medium of the visible world and its essential relevance for every world view. They present works using light as a material, making us conscious of the fact that there is no space and no material, no shapes and colours that are visible on their own without light. They focus on light sources, light images and light spaces with a view on the variables of time and space, distance and perspective, perceptibility and background experience as well as the guiding interests and fantasies of the viewers, additionally making LichtRouten’s visitors a part of the interplay of the light itself. We are very much looking forward to these artists and installations, because over the last ten years they have made the LichtRouten into a celebration of the city of light.
Bettina Pelz and Tom Groll Curators

Friday, September 10, 2010

Friday, September 3, 2010