Real Life in 3d (Curtain)
January – June 2011, Academy of Fine Arts, Vienna
A curtain of red and blue strings divides the room (where not only performances are taking place but an exhibition is set up too) into two equal spaces; therefore questioning the (re)location and evaluation of the situation of the spectator as well as of the performers, who are constantly changing their places of performances with each other.
Theater
In a theatrical way a curtain is usually used to mark an end/beginning of an action, a (spatial)separation between audience and stage/event. With this work I intend to question and blur that border.
At the same time, pushing the concept further, the curtain contains
due to its construction a space within
itself. This space not only serves as a
special stage for performers, but also
stages the interaction of the viewer with the installation itself, by spatially pointing out each approach.
Perception
The spectator approaches the installation wearing 3D glasses, by doing so, he_she experiences the same effect as looking at a common 3D-image.
He_she needs to refocus, not only onto his_her physical reality as perceived and constructed by each individual central nervous system, but as well on the location within the space itself.
Modern architecture incorporates ideas of virtual design and realizes those within our physical reality. The way we perceive our physical reality due to travelling through a virtual one has changed. Virtual reality tries to meet our
desire for a ‘realer’ sensation, while our physical environment takes on virtual traits and structures.
One’s behaviour and presence in a social network like facebook or twitter can meanwhile have essential consequences in the ‘outside’ world, concerning a person’s career and private life.
The way boundaries between physical and virtual worlds fluctuate and tend to blur, the same way the installation questions the idea of three-dimensionality as quality of the promise for a ‘more real experience’ of diverse
media (for instance cinema, television, this wish is also met in computer games). At the same time this approach leads to absurdity.