INSTALLATION VIEW - WANZE, STUHL UND LAMPE, 2021
IKEA Ivar chair, 3 channel video projection,
Black-Eyed Susan Vine (Thunbergia alata), Common Ivy (Hedera helix), Southern Green Stink Bug (Nezara viridula), Firebug (Pyrrho- coridae), Mottled Shieldbug (Rhaphigaster nebulosa), Sloe Bug (Dolycoris baccarum), Black-and-Red-bug (Lygaeus equestris), Moth (Heterocera), Earwig (Dermaptera)
Wanze, Stuhl und Lampe deals with the decline in insect populations and the ambivalent relationship between humans and insects. To make this relationship tangible, it was compressed into an experiment at close range involving two IKEA Ivar chairs, which are fully entwined by plants, providing a habitat for bugs, earwigs, and many more insects. The object with all its inhabitants became part of my daily life. My artistic research and the experience of cohabiting with insects were documented audiovisually and ultimately became a video work. The documentation goes beyond a detached observation of a species through a medium, given that I entered into social interaction with said species and hence became part of the investigation myself. According to Donna Haraway, I thereby transitioned from object to subject and entered into a dialogue, which she describes as an expression of respect for another species (see When Species Meet).
The juxtaposition of human and insectoid habitats offers various stimuli for contemplation. For one, while the problem of insect decline mostly feels far removed from our urban life, it is brought right back home and turned into a physical experience by this art piece. Practically speaking, on the other hand, because of the size difference and their existence in different time scales, insects are largely removed from human perception. And on a relational level, it seems to us that insects lack any emotional expression. This raises the question of whether we, as humans, can even develop empathy towards such strange beings. Can we accept the Other, even become its advocate, if this goes beyond the scope of our conceptual framework? This work explores the ambivalence and complexity of a relationship with the radical Other at close range.
