53444 Katalog PDF - Menneske.dk

THE SITE AND NEW VOICES
Visual art of the present day avails itself of
many different voices, but not in the manner
of a gobbledygook of incomprehensibilities
where each of the voices can only be
interpreted by the speaker him/herself.The
individual work, you see, possesses its own
specific expression for a specific matter that,
for the artist, is important to present.The art
we are talking about here aims at involving its
public as participants in an exchange of
experiences and viewpoints. And what is
demanded for the purpose, of course, is that
the artist make use of a form of expression
that not only potentializes but also, in the
best instances, promotes such participation.
An activating - and maybe nothing short of
stimulating or even downright disturbing -
confrontation between artwork and viewer is
frequently assigned a high priority by the
artist.
As an artistic practice - in this connection -
installation art is an ideal way of working to
secure "the conversation", where one or
more voices can be heard, visually and
sensually.The installation's space-oriented way
of unfolding itself in an architectonic interplay
with the indoor - or maybe the outdoor -
space and its plentiful possibilities for making
use of almost all kinds of materials, video,
photographs, light and sound is just perfect for
engendering the utterly special place that not
only surrounds the viewer but also allures
him/her into an investigative ambling about.
The shut down Knabstrup Brickworks now
serves as the frame for an exhibition with
artists who are working - to a considerable
degree - with an installation praxis that opens
up to many exciting possibilities, right on this
very spot. The production of bricks and
ceramics here came to its end more than ten
years ago. But even today, many traces of
these activities are still visible in the huge
building facility and the ravishingly beautiful
surroundings.What are most remarkable are
the shelf arrangements, featuring a varied
collection of the old casting moulds. But
there are also other worn-down fixtures and
all sorts of things that have been left behind
in many of the rooms, while other rooms
right now are standing empty, just waiting for
the art's entry.
The story of the brickworks is closely linked up
with the people who have worked at the place
and who undoubtedly carry a long chain of
memories connected with the place. These
people and their recollections comprise an
important part of the narrative about
Knabstrup Brickworks.A later chapter belongs
to the story of industrialization when many
brickworks were shut down because materials
and new forms of production made these
facilities superfluous.The many small individual
stories are now woven together with - or
confronted by - changes in the larger tale of
society. Such a potential field can most certainly
constitute a fertile ground for artistic efforts.