Jesse Ash
Pierre Bismuth
Yoann Gourmel
Elodie Royer
Angie Keefer
Snowden Snowden
Christian Kobald
Elena Narbutaite'
Paul Sietsema
The exhibition as it is now is by no means definite. It is rather an exercise or a mental expedition set up in order to think through a couple of things. The first question to think about is: what happens if a word (Distance) which obviously means too many things is not specified, but instead left to levitate on its own, without a context? And if this word is still somehow intelligible even if stripped of all qualities, then how can we use it and how can it function?
The exhibition as it is now is by no means definite. It is rather an exercise or a mental expedition set up in order to think through a couple of things. The first question to think about is: what happens if a word (Distance) which obviously means too many things is not specified, but instead left to levitate on its own, without a context? And if this word is still somehow intelligible even if stripped of all qualities, then how can we use it and how can it function?
A working hypothesis: it can function metaphorically.
Consider the difference between an analogy and a metaphor. An analogy links two things according to a certain shape or feature they share - the moon resembles a face via the round shape of an eye, the form of an arch joints a church with a crack in a mountain. There is thus always a third external element in any analogy, an element which preexists the juxtaposition of words or things. On the other hand, no mediatory element is needed in a metaphor: the sun simply turns out to be a passageway, laughter turns into a mountain. Notions and things lose all qualities they had and become something else altogether, but there is no break in meaning, no void.
So at this point we only have two things structuring the show: an overdetermined word (Distance) and a possible method (Metaphor). And a healthy dose of perplexity. This should be enough for now to look at some things exhibited.
With works and contributions by: Jesse Ash, Pierre Bismuth, Yoann Gourmel & Elodie Royer, Angie Keefer & Snowden Snowden, Christian Kobald, Elena NarbutaitÄ— and Paul Sietsema.
Image: Jesse Ash, Words that fold out to make screens, 2009
Super8 film projection (3 '30 ''), RNIB raised line writing paper, 250 paper origami tetrahedra
Dimensions variable
Installation view at Tulips & Roses, Vilnius
Opening: Saturday, 29 January 2011, from 2 to 7 PM (Downtown Galleries Day)
Tulips & Roses
rue de la Cle 19 - Brussels