български

The Art of Restless Swimming

Author

Michael Heindl

Birth year

1988

Place of birth

Austria
Linz

Year of creation

2021

Dimensions

170 x 16 x 10 cm

Information on media/technique

video and a series of 12 small objects

Section

Installation

More information

https://www.michaelheindl.net/

Video link

https://vimeo.com/657784961

Biennale

25th Gabrovo Biennial of Humor and Satire in Art

Short description

Does the life jacket under the airplane seat really have a practical use when a plane crashes into the sea from an altitude of 14,000 meters? Or is its purpose here more symbolic, serving to suggest control and safety, although in reality one would be relatively helpless in the event of an emergency? Would the subjective feeling of safety be the same without a vest under the seat? The work "The Art of Restless Swimming" is an attempt to think further about the phenomenon of the life jacket in its symbolic meaning. One part of the work is the film "Air Crises", in which a vest stolen from an airplane and the accompanying sheet with safety instructions in case of an emergency landing, are examined and edited for their possible uses. These materials are disassembled and reassembled, based on the form of Reclam books. A cuboid folded from the safety sheet serves as the hollow core of the object. This is covered with the signal yellow fabric of the vest. The instructions for use and pictograms printed on it serve as material for anagrams, from which the title of the book object is derived. By repeating the action with vests from different airlines, a series of further objects was created beyond the film. The original and questioned offer of the life jackets, namely to provide safety although this can by no means be guaranteed, is to be led ad absurdum by the book objects. The hollowness of a promise finds its translation in a hollow form. The book titles are promising, but the supposed books are without content. If one thinks of the measures taken in the face of the major crises of our time, one could draw parallels with the phenomenon of the life jacket. Despite the knowledge that things are out of control, the groundless assertion that everything is under control seems to satisfy the general sense of security. Video: https://vimeo.com/657784961 , Password: 1988

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