THE SURFACE OF DISPLACEMENT
Galerie Loris, Berlin
September 08 – October 06, 2012, solo exhibition
The object THE SURFACE OF DISPLACEMENT, specifically designed and produced for the Loris gallery in Berlin, refers to the Icelandic Kárahnjúkar dam — a major construction project for energy production finished in 2006. The object is an architectural transcription of official aerial photographs. In them, the formerly vivid blue glacier rivers are depicted as they exist today: as a melted monochrome surface, or muddy lake. By wedging a heavy module into the gallery space — relating in form and content to the lake —, BENTEN CLAY invites aspects of displacement to be experienced. The object stands then as a massive over-dimensional immovable object forced stiff into the predetermined space. Entering and perambulating becomes limited, actionability is reduced to a minimum and the habitual use of the room is disturbed.
With this object BENTEN CLAY combines perceptual criteria on surface, space, sculpture and materiality with thoughts concerning the impact of controversial economic and ecological decisions. Questions regarding topography, measurement and territorial shifts arise.
IMPRESSIONS OF THE OPENING
