Zentrum Paul Klee
http://www.sommerakademie.zpk.org
What happens when you dig a gallery into the earth in a field in Bern, a city famous for its bear pits and medieval town centre? Early garden architecture, graves, crypts, or hidden reserves come to mind; or perhaps an archaeological excavation, revealing an unexpected mix of artifacts from different cultures. Is this a modern day dumping ground or a restoration of Land Art? What connotations are evoked by an action as simple as lowering art works into the earth?
dragged down into lowercase is the concept devised by curator Clémentine Deliss and artist Oscar Tuazon for the 2008 Zentrum Paul Klee Summer Academy and Exhibition. Working as a team, they have selected a faculty of leading artists and scholars to reflect on the extended connotations of the underground. Eleven nominated artists from Austria, Belarus, Belgium, Germany, Russia, Switzerland, the UK, and the US, will present new works and performances in the outdoor exhibition space designed by Oscar Tuazon. This triangular excavated structure includes a 3m high wall, built from local timber cut into boards by UK artists Heather and Ivan Morison. Exhibits include diverse sculptures, some reaching 4,5 meter high, tent structures, sound installation, invisible technological input, and references that highlight the history of the city of Bern.
The international faculty of the Summer Academy will give public lectures, take part in panel discussions, and host club nights. Erik Fredericksen, from Seattle, will discuss the Ha-Ha, the concealed trench used in 18th century English garden design, that is currently enjoying a revival in U.S. State security planning. Joe Scanlan will present the concept of Classism. Martin Kimani, the conflict analyst from Nairobi, will question the museological ramifications of recent genocide with reference to mass graves and memorials. Christoph Büchel and Adrian Piper will engage with the works of the artists from this year’s Summer Academy. Curator Giovanni Carmine will lead a two-day expedition into the mountains to visit the historical Réduit and bunkers scattered in the Swiss countryside. Finally, Philippe Pirotte will moderate a debate on the art market and the underground, held at the Kunsthalle Bern.
Nominated Artists:
Aaron Flint Jamison (US), Michael Höpfner (A), Irina Korina (R), Alexej Koschkarow (BY), Heather and Ivan Morison (UK), Avigail Moss (US), Lucy Pawlak (UK), Pamela Rosenkranz (CH), Robert Stark (G), Charlie Tweed (UK), and Philippe Van Wolputte (B).
Guest Faculty:
Christoph Büchel, Artist, Basel
Giovani Carmine, Curator and Director, Kunsthalle St. Gallen
Eric Fredericksen, Curator and Director, Westernbridge, Seattle
Martin Kimani, Conflict Analyst, Nairobi, Addis Ababa, New York
Adrian Piper, Artist, Berlin
Philippe Pirotte, Curator and Director, Kunsthalle Bern
Joe Scanlan, Artist, New York
Concept and Faculty Chair:
Clémentine Deliss, curator and publisher based in London and Edinburgh. Director of Future Academy and Curator of Randolph Cliff (Edinburgh College of Art), and Metronome (Paris, London)
Oscar Tuazon, artist from the US, based in Paris. Co-director of the gallery castillo/corrales in Belleville, Paris
Public Events:
Monday 4th August, 11am: Press Conference, Zentrum Paul Klee
Tuesday 5th August, 6.30pm, Zentrum Paul Klee, Auditorium
Public Opening with Lecture by Clémentine Deliss and Oscar Tuazon
Wednesday 6th August, 6.30pm, Kunsthalle Bern
Panel Discussion on the art market and the underground with Philippe Pirotte, Clémentine Deliss, Oscar Tuazon and Wolf von Weiler
Friday 8th August, 6.30pm, Zentrum Paul Klee, Auditorium
Lecture ‘Classism’ by Joe Scanlan
Saturday 9th August, 1-2pm, Parklands of the Zentrum Paul Klee
Presentation by Artists of the Summer Academy and performance by Charlie Tweed
Monday 11th August, 6pm, PROGR, visarte
Lecture ‘The New Ha-Ha’ by Eric Fredericksen
Monday 11th August, 10pm, Dampfzentrale
Party ‘The Road’ with DJs Oscar Tuazon and Philippe Pirotte
Tuesday 12th August, 6.30pm, PROGR, visarte
Lecture ‘A Lowercase Condition of Humanity’ by Martin Kimani
Wednesday 13th August, 6pm, Zentrum Paul Klee, Auditorium and Parklands
Academy Evening with Aperitif http://www.sommerakademie.zpk.org
For more information go to: http://www.sommerakademie.zpk.org
