PLAY & CONTROL
The exhibition Play and Control is about the tension between the desire to play (the precondition for every creative process) and the necessity to have a legitimated form.
The curator asked the artists to start focusing their attention on the child at play. The child moves its object and toys countless times. It does not play with a previously formulated result in mind. The aim of the game is the game itself. The child is free and without obligations. Now its educator comes and says, ‘make a house’ or ‘draw a horse’. In so doing they have a very specific aim in mind. The play is given a structure. But at the same time the child loses its pure desire to play, its unbridled, totally free creativity.
The artist is able to retain some of this original childlike ability. This is after all the precondition for creative work. But then a new obstacle arises: the unwritten rules and regulations of the art world. In order to be visible, tangible and discussible (not to mention ’saleable’), both the creative process and the way it is presented have to be cast in a very specific mould. This mould is subject to trends. To what extend should the artist to be prepared to compromise? When the form becomes more important than the content there is a danger of academic dullness setting in.
To summarise: the creative process itself, which comes very close to a young child’s play, does not lead to really visible results, and too much attention paid to form and presentation brings with it academism and repetition. What is interesting is the tension between the two. The work of the eight artists shows evidence of it.
ALICE BOURCEREAU (F) is putting with the complicity of the Museum’s staff marbles in the pockets of the visitor’s coats. MARIE BELENOTTI-BELLOT (F) shows a videotape were a young woman is blowing on a waffle full of sugar. The sugar is dispersing in slow motion. ELISA COISSARD (F) lives in Berlin. She’s preparing a moveable puzzle as a 3D labyrinth. JULIEN COLLIEUX (F) is also living and working in Berlin. He is making a marionette of 8 meters height. The visitors can make a drawing by handling it. The drawing will become part of the exhibition. There will be a permanently changing installation of enlarged playing cards by JOSEPH JESSEN (D). NADIA NAVEAU (B) is showing a big playground with monumental sculptures inspired by war games and toy soldiers. TANJA RAU (DK) is making a colourful bas-relief on the phenomena of bus-stations. And finally TEREZA VELIKOVA (CZ) will show an installation inspired by her memory as a young child trying to take a ball to big for her tiny hands.
CURATED BY KOEN BROUCKE
Publication:
ISBN 951-9355-75-8
Play & Control
Pori Art Museum 22.3.-2.6.2002
Text: Koen Broucke, Antonio Domènech, Juha-Heikki Tihinen, Alice Bourcereau, Marie Belenotti-Bellot, Elisa Coissard, Julien Collieux, Joseph Jessen, Tanja Rau, Tereza Velikova, Volker Rattemeyer
Images: Tomas Rasl (p. 10,11,15,28-31,33-35,41-44,47,58,61,62,64); Petra Stein (p. 53); Alice Bourcereau (p. 12-14); Marie Belenotti-Bellot (p. 16-21,59); Elisa Coissard (p. 22-27, 60); Julien Collieux (p. 32); Joseph Jenssen (p. 36-39); Tanja Rau (p. 46, 48-50); Tereza Velikova (p. 52,54-57,65)
Design: Lies Schrevens
Translations: Jean Ramsay (p. 3,5-7,12-13,17-19,24-25,29-31,35-37,42-43,48-49,54-55)
Teija Lammi (p. 2,4,47,53)
Printed by: Halewijn n.v.
Font: A Garamond, Gill Sans, The Sans
Paper: Satimat, Challenger recycle
© 2002, writers, artists, photographers and Stiching germinations Europe
Pori Art Museum Publications 57