Spazio Pulpo
GEGEN DEN STRICH
The second Group-Exhibition at Spazio Pulpo refered to the novel "À rebours" by J.K. Huysmanns.
In this edition the show included works of breadedEscalope, chmara.rosinke, Patrick Rampelotto and also Klemens Schillinger.
À rebours - Joris-Karl Huysmans
(written by Catherine Lemieux)
À rebours (translated as Against the Grain. The English title of the book is "Against Nature") is the title of a novel of J.K. Huysmans which offers a grandiose and grotesque resistance to the appalling power of mediocrity. It was first issued in 1884, at a time when the bourgeoisie had decisively risen and when the last of the aristocrats in their salons were lamenting the degeneration of mankind. “Everything is syphilis!” cries Jean Des Esseintes, the novel’s exuberant protagonist. This man of exquisite taste wants to be saved from the plague, yet he distrusts every helper, whether other people or God. So he turns instead to artefacts, music and literature. Far away from the plebs of Paris, in his countryside house, he indulges in numerous delicate perversions, no- tably the creation of a décor that suits his fabulous personality. Nothing is left to the caprice of nature. Every colour must be opulent, every fur- niture must be ingenious, every object has to be rare, and the minutest action must be turned into an experience. Frenetically looking for a new fix of fantasy, Des Esseintes grows thin and fragile as a string, ever more ready to be stricken, vibrating with spasms of joy at every artificial thrill he can feel. Thoroughly intoxicated by art, the body of this unorthodox martyr is transformed into a cultural monument and an insult to nature. Des Esseintes is the total designer as well as an extreme embodiment of the misfit. This exhibition revives his rebellious spirit by displaying exhil- arating ideas, luxurious obsessions and splendid wit.
"Hoover"
With the object "Hoover", breadedEscalope quotes the vacuum cleaner as a cultural asset and turning point of society. With the arrival of this item in households in the second half of the twentieth century, the mass market gained access to a form of technicized efficiency that met with the emerging endeavor to overcome, domesticate and cultivate Nature. The sterile home thus reflects a form of social development that is inherently bound to the idea of progress. Antibiotics extend life, monoculture fills refrigerators, the entertainment industry tames the mind and patina gives way to calculable perfection. This transformation, fueled by design and consumer culture, captivates the mainstream until today. The role of the vacuum cleaner in the history of design illustrates the effect and validity of "styling" and trends in consumer society.
"Kajola"
carbon fiber, helium
The second object stages the wheelbarrow as status symbol. In a contemporary context, it can be defined as an exaggerated product, as the "premium vehicle", that seems to promise the recovery of the notions of orgin and love of Nature. Thereby, it anticipates the development of a social self-understanding through the illustration of the paradoxical interplay of design and lifestyle. It explores the clichés around fitness, competition, quality of living and love of Nature.
