Magical Machines / 5 July - 8 September, 2002 / Oldenburg, Germany

[claudia westermann]

http://www.edith-russ-haus.de/

Magical Machines	       
Gregory Barsamian (USA), Marcel Duchamp (F), Christoph Keller (D), 
Paola Pivi (I), Steina Vasulka (USA/Island), Herwig Weiser (A)

Opening Reception: Friday, 5 July, 2002, 8 pm
5 July - 8 September, 2002

A desire for the extraordinary, which is at the core of any fantastic 
machine, travels through this exhibition as an undercurrent - and is 
often transferred to the viewer as an experience for the senses. At a 
time when the word 'virtual' constantly slips into the discourse on 
art, the Edith Russ Site for Media Art has brought together 
sculptures and apparatuses with a strong physical presence. They are 
possibilities of artistic invention - from the dynamism of the object 
to the development of utopian idea for a better world through 
mechanical artworks. The 'Magical Machines' are a testament to the 
hope for the endless source of the inventive spirit.

It was no accident that Marcel Duchamp (F) first exhibited his 
“Rotoreliefs" (1935/65) at a fair for inventors. With this act, he 
rejected painting and initiated the mass production of his work, 
taking his historical place in the world of inventors. The colorful 
patterns of his discs spontaneously dissolve - from only a few simple 
lines, a martini glass appears - and fluctuate betweena two and three 
dimensions. Their circling movement animates the change, making it 
possible for the visitors to place the 'Rotoreliefs' on Duchamp's 
turntable and experience music made for the eyes instead of the ears.

Artists also provoked a discussion on tradition and new genres 
through their use of video. The electro/opto/mechano installation 
“Allvision" (1976) by Steina Vasulka (Iceland/USA) is an early 
artistic experiment in which the video medium was investigated as a 
new manner of seeing. The space is surveilled from every angle via 
turning cameras and a mirrored ball, playfully distorting the visitor 
and the surrounding space. Time and movement become a single universe 
of endless cycles and satellites. This 'machine vision' (Vasulka) 
expands the possibilities of artistic worlds.

Those who see the world through the focus of their own large or small 
inventions and nervously search the halls of the patent office for 
earlier patents that could potentially stand in the way of their own 
claims may be the last utopians. The visions of these 'artists', the 
private inventor at the patent office, are also private utopias. 
Christoph Keller's patented “Helioflex" (1997) shows the development 
of a project that brightens densely built spaces with sunlight. The 
Helioflex sun mirror automatically steers direct sunlight into dark 
apartments and shadowy gardens. It is composed of tested components 
such as satellite systems and follows the sun with a simple, robust 
tracking system. For 'Magical Machines' Keller (D) will show the 
papers and plans from the process of patenting the 'Helioflex'.


It is often necessary for artists to work together with scientists in 
order to realize their concepts. Together with the CERN laboratory in 
Geneva and the London Institute, Paola Pivia developed the sculpture 
“C" (2001) out of the laws of physics and elements of design. Its 
structure is made of numerous fine wires and needles that seem to 
float between steel and aluminum. They may, for instance, position 
themselves in defense when someone nears. The simultaneous attraction 
and repulsion of the work awakens the sense of touch, without 
actually touching.

Like Duchamp's 'Rotoreliefs' and Vasulka's 'Allvision', Gregory 
Barsamian's work seduces and tricks the optical sense. 'Mother May I' 
(1993) is an almost archaic sphere with a rotating movement that 
depicts the creation and destruction of the world in a never-ending 
cycle. It flickers with a dynamic that directly attacks the 
subconscious. Its stroboscope fuses Barsamian's detailed sculptures 
with beautiful chaos, a dream world of myths and the realities of 
time.


Special Events:

19 July 2002, Friday, 9 pm:
Herwig Weiser
“zgomo-live" Presentation and Concert
Oldenburger Kultursommer

The 'zgomobil' (2001/2002) by Herwig Weiser (A) carries the hope for 
the possibity that desert landscapes and soundscapes can spring forth 
from computer garbage. Tonight, Weiser will demonstrate the machine 
he developed together with the programmer Albert Bleckman. The 
visitor can control the sound surface of the 'zgomobil' with 
electromagnetic codes to produce an endless flow of transforming 
forms and sounds. The experimental pop music of the Cologne musicians 
F.X. Randomiz and Joseph Suchy round out the night.

28 July, Sunday, Kultursommer Museum Day
Tours at 1 and 3 pm

7 September, Saturday, 9 pm
Long Night of the Museums -
Video night with artist's videos for the exhibition.

“Video Visions" every fourth Friday of the month in O1 Television

Tours:
Every Sunday at 3 pm
Further group tours by appointment: 15 Euro + admission


Edith Russ Site for Media Art
Katharinenstraße 23
D-26121 Oldenburg
t. +49 (0)441 235-32 08
f. +49 (0)441 235-21 61
info at edith-russ-haus.de
www.edith-russ-haus.de

Open Hours:
Tuesday - Friday: 2 - 5 pm
Saturday, Sunday: 11 am - 5 pm

Admission:
2.50/1.50 Euro