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. All this despite its being the very edge of the inhabitable world. Man is cultural by nature, and culture is the human way of being present in nature. It may be possible to find a place on Earth which is untouched by human hand, but the thought itself deprives that spot of its virginity. Culture is domination of nature and there are no alternatives to civilisation. |
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Exhibition catalogue, texts by Jonathan Crary and Madeleine Schuppli. . His work navigates a space between nature and technology, the organic and the industrial. (installation view) Olafur Eliasson responds to questions in the Artists of the Week section of this site. Education 1989-95 Royal Academy of Arts, Copenhagen Selected Further Reading Miles, Christopher. |
We spent most of the afternoon hitting endless balls at a tall chimney, and only peripherally broached the theme of his work. I'm mentioning this episode, because I realized subsequently to what degree that afternoon and our activities in that place were symptomatic and typical of Olafur Eliasson's art work. Direct experience with phenomena that are either natural or close to nature lies at the hub of his work. are all factors helping us to perceive an immediate present, where it is not so much the effect of artificial emotion but the individual perception of the onlooker which takes pride of place. In this sense, Eliasson's works do not play the main role, but are rather catalysts stimulating everyone's perception, and enabling them to become aware of this space-time continuity of the moment.
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. A stable society and full employment can no longer be taken for granted and a much closer eye is now being kept on the rest of Europe and the world. One crucial question arising in contemporary consciousness is to what extent individual freedom can be organised without compromising its nature. The artists have understood that art must be open to all sorts of influences if it is to survive. Organising Freedom comprises an exhibition, a symposium, film and music programmes and an exhibition catalogue. |
further information: http://www.medienhaus.at/mh/vn/abobestellung.shtm