As I said in Part 1, some of the works in this year’s sculpture biennale are found in a residential district in town which is usually not much frequented by others than those who live and work there. It is one of the areas in town with a lot of immigrants. Although I’ve been in the neighbourhood sometimes, I have very rarely gone walking in among the high-rise apartment blocks before. Although within walking distance from the city center, this neighbourhood still feels like a suburb.
▲One of the new sculptures for the biennale is a white picket fence – something we normally associate with small one-family houses with their own garden here. (Untitled, by Sirous Namazi, born in Iran)
On the other hand: In among some other apartment blocks, I also found this picket fence surrounding an urban allotment site. (As far as I know, not considered a sculpture!)▼
In a park, I caught up with a guided biennale tour at this construction below – which is part of the sculpture biennale ▼
Flat Field Works (Middelheim Variant #1)
This artwork creates a space that resembles both private and public environments. The pavilion adds a new feature to the park that we can use for a moment’s rest or play, for reading a book, or as a stage. The artist often reflects on the social role of art and how artworks are experienced, both physically and psychologically. Andrea Zittel is best known for her living systems, a multifaceted exploration of what humans need for their survival. (Text from a sign nearby)
I tagged along with the guided tour to a couple of more sculptures.
Another untitled piece by the same artist who made the white picket fence. The brochure says: “Shoes and trousers give no clues as to gender, age or ethnicity, so the missing figure remains anonymous. Thereby, we are all invited to identify with the work, and project our own story on it.” – Hmmm… (Suggestions?)
▲ More tall buildings, and in among those another sculpture, consisting of two opposite sets of stairs. ▼
These are said to resemble mosque pulpits, and by placing them opposite each other, the artist Mounira al Sohl (born in Libanon) wants to encourage dialogue rather than sermons. Every hour, there is also a song in Arabic played from the pulpits. So we all hung around for a while, awaiting that…
After that I parted from the guided group (because I was going home, and they were going back in the opposite direction). On my way, I passed by some older blocks of houses which I like for their variety of doorways:
And on the other side of the street from those, there is one my favourite murals from the street art festival two years ago:
The area of town we’ve been touring in this post is to the west of the railway. Crossing over the main bridge back to the east side, I took these views. Might as well show them “while we’re here”…
(looking north)
Having crossed the bridge and the railway station, if you turn left you will find your way to the city center. I, however, will be going in the opposite direction to get back home!
…
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16 comments:
I prefer the murals. The sculpture didn't enthuse me this time.
They should have put the boots inside the fence, it would have tidied things up.
I like the shoes and trousers one but I can't say it invites me to think of an appropriate story.
I must say today there are no sculptures that I really love. I like the boots and they could be either or male or female to me. The picket fence just too too much for me. As for the flat thing can't get that either. I don't think these are as good as all the other stuff with that usually show up in your town.
Forgot to say I love the red door. And I love that mural
SO interesting, and so much I love here! It is so funny... here, we have a saying "The other side of the tracks". People who are poor or immigrants live on the other side of the tracks. I think it used to be literal, but now it is not. The saying is used for any poor or different people. It is used a lot. And with you, the same thing, but literal! I love the woman and her dog. This is a large mural! The steps...to me, they are steps that go nowhere, you go constantly up and down. And the boots, I instantly have my own story, but it is rather grim! Nevertheless, it is the first thing that came to my mind. The upside down boots are coming up from the ground, like a person coming out of the grave, trying to mingle with a living person wearing boots. Strange with both these exhibits, usually my mind does not tend toward the macabre. But good art does take you to unusual places!! The little white fence, I thought it was just a normal fence that someone was going to plant something inside! That is very cool, kind of a transitioning art!! Love your shots of the tracks themselves with a very modern train. The train is the divider between us and them.
Adrian, I like the mural best here too!
John, I quite like this one as well because it is of the kind does allow "reflection" without knowing any additional facts.
Sandra, I did not really fall in love with any individual piece here either. But having made the tour among them all, I think that together, in the context of this suburban housing district, they still express something worth pondering about. (Not sure exactly what. But to do with the general clash of multiple cultures in these surroundings.)
Ginny, thank you so much for that contribution - "the other side of the tracks". I can't recall having heard that expression before, and can't recall a similar saying in Swedish (not referring to railway tracks anyway). But it fits so well with what they've done in this exhibition that I now suspect maybe those who arranged it must be familiar with it!
This was very interesting, although I looked at least as closely at the buildings as at the sculptures. I think I would like to walk around the "flat fields" thing, but I am not sure I would want it in any of my hometown's green spaces.
This hasn't been one of the more inspiring of the sculpture series we have seen in your town. I'm not sure that I really took to any of them. But that's life and there have been many splendid ones before and doubtless there will be many again.
Meike, the same goes for me. That's why I do also try to show the background buildings in my photos, not just the sculptures. Personally, I'd much prefer a more traditional kind of gazebo in the park... We have some such structures in between the buildings on the estate where I live - very practical, providing shade on hot days and shelter on the rainy ones).
Graham - aesthetically I agree, even if I think I kind of get what they were aiming at with the exhibition as a whole. I haven't really heard a lot of reactions from "average citizens" about it all. But in my own mind, I'm wondering, for example, what if they had placed the sculptures differently - would that change what we think? (Like what if they had put the silver spoon in among the high-rise buildings, and the mosque pulpits in the main square.)
Very interesting sculptures in both this second post and the first one. Can't say that I have a favourite but it's nice to see that they have been placed in areas that are not usually frequented. I love how your town brings art to the people every year...something to look forward to.
Virginia, the city has certainly gone through a bit of a "facelift" in the last decade, with a lot of new art added :)
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