Vitus
H. Weh One of the most important roles in art today is to provide protection against this kind of blindness. Whilst there are many things that brighten up our everyday lives like flower beds or holidays, circus, sport and the church as balsam for our souls, the only way to retain our sense of perception is to probably give up alcohol and to engage in art. An example of this is when Christo and Jeane-Claude wrapped up the Reichstag with silver paper in Berlin in July 1995 and for many people it was the first time it actually became visible. It was the "wrapped-up" Reichstag that led millions of people to reconsider the history of the building and what to expect of the future. The wooden construction built a few meters above the main sqare in Wiener Neustadt that same year had the same effect. This was also a temporary art work constructed by a Japanese artist Tadashi Kawamata and his team. It was suddenly possible to have a changed view of the well-known and to discover new perspectives. (1) The Snow
Stick Parade by Andreas Lehner from Oberwart offers a very similar chance.
Although he is also concerned with the visual effects of the striped pattern
created by the long rows of sticks, and that there are more sticks at
certain points, the main concern is the fact that the town is viewed and
interpreted differently. In certain cases art can function as a catalyst.
In the same way things enter a catalyst and come out differently, art
tries to provoke and release the possibility for creative reactions.
(1) For further e.g. or art projects during town rebuilding refer to "Auf der Baustelle". In Markus Wailand, Vitus H. Weh (Hg.) Zur Sache Kunst am Bau. A Manual. Vienna 1998, pp 158-167 (2) It should be noted that for future tendencies of art in public spaces, snow sticks are also a fitting metaphor as they meant to make streets and paths visible even when snow drifts threaten to blind. |
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