Herz, Hand, Mund by Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock |
In the near future a large red heart may hover over the central green area of Messestadt, visible from afar. It will pulsate slowly and regularly, like the central organ of the human body. Verbal statements of human feelings will appear electronically directly beneath it: 'I feel lonely' or 'I'm on good form today'.
This is one of three objects that Renata Stih and Frieder Schnock plan to set up in Messestadt. In the trade fair and industrial area opposite the main entrance to the district they intend to erect a huge hand with coloured boards that move in the wind. The texts on the boards relate to the surroundings, to the bustling activity of trade, industry and commerce on the one hand and to the history of the site on the other. The third 'Stadtzeichen' (city marker) will be a giant mouth erected in Willy-Brandt-Allee, the street separating the trade fair grounds from the residential area and thus marking the entrance to Messestadt's private realm. As with the heart, electronic texts will appear, running between the mouth's lips and relating to the everyday desires and dreams of consumers or simply reproducing a shopping list.
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These three objects combine familiar elements from a code of symbolism developed over centuries with the insistent brashness of advertising as first practised in the USA. The 'Stadtzeichen' are the result of intensive study of existing spaces in, and future plans for, Messestadt and of many conversations between the artists and residents. Colourful, interesting works of art featured high on a list of wants drawn up by the suburb's women's group. Taking this as their point of departure, Stih and Schnock sought points of contact in their discussions with residents between this demand and the locals' concerns. The artists' aim was to learn as much as possible about what inhabitants expected of life in the district. Many of the residents' wishes revealed a strong desire for images. The projected 'Stadtzeichen' transfer a small, cherished part of traditional symbolism to the frequently unfamiliar and rapidly changing imagery of the present. In this way, they seek to promote residents' identification with the physical and social surroundings of a rather faceless environment.
The objects should thus become new points of orientation
in the fabric of this new suburb. It will be fascinating
to see how their effect, their message and their significance
change in the course of residents' daily contact with
them.
Spring 2001
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