About the Work

A Sense of Place Series

Inspired by the past and present cultural identities, the series of projects “A Sense of Place” is an immersive and interactive artwork. In the project, the representation of heritage as syntheses takes place as an expression and as a mediation of the concept of a virtually shared relationship between the past and the present in an attempt to synthesize the dimensions of both into a single sense of place. Having to deal with diverse points in time and the interplay between historical and contemporary place with its collective and individual identities can only be overcome and manifest as an artwork through the aid of technology, which allows for the representation of past time by projecting into it onto the virtual space of the present. The installation therefore makes use of virtual three-dimensional objects placed in real space through exploring the possibilities of geo-tagged images, which are made visible to all through the use of an Augmented Reality applications now in common use with the mobile communications technologies of today.

A Sense of Place for  Hannover

The work in the series which was created for Hannover is in the form of a dialog with the actual space in which it is shown. The Federfabrik, located in Linden, Hannover, forms the basis of the work and although not dependent on the the space, the ideas and concepts in the work are connected to it as analogy as well as inspirational. What is universal in such a setting comes to light in the work and this universality lends the work its independence and allows it to take root in other places than its point of conceptual origin.

An important factor in the work is the figure Karl Krolow, who was a poet born in Hannover and who penned a number of poems capturing the atmosphere of post war Germany. In his poem „Verlassene Küste“ from the poetry collection "Die Zeichen der Welt." This poem os a particularly good example of German poetry which describes a society in ruins. The poem is about Breslau and  the exiting of the entire German populations after the Russian decision was made to offer that part of the country for Germany. The parallel between the Hannover and the Breslau work is also in the use of the feather element, which on the one hand depicts the feather factory in Hanover and the same time referencing the image of feathers floating in the air throughout the city of Breslau, which took place as soldiers came looking for valuables proposed to be hidden in the down in the comforters used at the time.  The feathers than made their way in to city through the windows and openings in the walls


Verlassene Küste

Segelschiffe und Gelächter,
Das wie Gold im Barte steht,
Sind vergangen wie ein schlechter
Atem, der vom Munde weht.
Wie ein Schatten auf der Mauer,
Der den Kalk zu Staub zerfrißt.
Unauflöslich bleibt die Trauer,
Die aus schwarzem Honig ist.
Duftend in das Licht gehangen,
Feucht wie frischer Vogelkot
Und den heißen Ziegelwangen
Auferlegt als leichter Tod.
Kartenschlagende Matrosen
Sind in ihrem Fleisch allein.
Tabak rieselt durch die losen
Augenlider in sie ein.
Ihre Messer, die sie warfen
Nach dem blauen Vorhang Nacht,
Wurden schartig in dem scharfen
Wind der Ewigkeit, der wacht.


More about the work for Hannover

The work consists of a combination of elements, some of which are real and some of which are virtual. The real, or physical elements of the work consist of a printed base plate and small doll house bed fashioned out of clear acrylic sheeting that sits upon the plate.  The image seen on the printed base is of the base plate is a screen shot of the Augmented Reality work, which is also available for viewing for those equipped with smart phones or tablet computers.

The  cover of the doll bed, which consists of a pattern made out of a QR code, allows access to the coupled AR work when the code is scanned using a mobile device.an elements that allow access to the virtual parts of the work. The elements of the AR part of the work consist of feathers falling from the sky - making a clear connection to the feather fabric in which the work is being viewed. Once the feathers are viewable, it is possible for the viewer to actually walk through the space and view the work in all of dimensions.

A performative sound element is built into the work which is based on the sounds of sleeping. If the viewer touches a feather, an audio file is opened which can then be played back. Visitors interested n performing the work are requested to stand still while the file is playing and move and select another for as long as they are interested in performing. The selected sounds then combine from all of the viewers performing and create what might be called a collective sleep reminiscent of the what the factory actually produced. A change of color from transparency into deep blue takes place slowly and is indicative of the coming of night.

About the Creators

The Curious Minded (INT)

The guiding principle of the international arts group Curious Minded is simply to remain healthy and curious. Since their founding in 2010, Curious Minded has expanded with a “no-names-needed” approach with members residing in Berlin, Montreal, Warsaw, Zurich, and Seoul. The group has produced a diverse number of art objects in the form of witty games, viewing cards, bedtime stories, and a variety of easy music works. Several works are now available for purchase at museum stores. Because their work lies outside of the periphery of the art market and created to be “played”, the group often avoids the beaten path and focuses on new approaches for exhibiting. Curious Minded has exhibited in museums and galleries in North America, Asia and Europe.