Group show
SpielWiese
May 20, 2011 – July 2, 2011
Fifteen artists launch with ,SpielWiese‘ the fifth group show at WIDMER+THEODORIDIS contemporary. Some of them have already played along, some are new to the group. We cordially welcome for the first time: Dimitris Douramakos, Katrin von Lehmann, Patrick Martinez, Ernst Stark, Lars Theuerkauff, Hans Thomann and Nadine Wottke.
,Spielwiese‘ (playground) refers at one hand to games and the human drive for sensual movements. On the other hand to the term ,Grüne Wiese‘ (from scratch) which serves as a testing ground for experimental concepts.
The development of society and labour in the 20th century is aligned with the changes of how we spend our leisure time. Issues as the changes in the worlds of labour and life, the future of labour and the compatibility of labour and family have dramatically changed our behaviour of how we spend our leisure time. A review of leisure time can only be made in this respect and has to be understood as a mirror of new focal points in life.
,Ora et Labora‘ served for a long time as an objective in life. Amusement was given socially a clear timeframe only: Carnival, Festivals and Sundays had to suffice. The economic boom in the 50s however yielded affluence and later more leisure time. And in the process of this development the traditional view of labour and leisure was torn apart and the religious centre of power shifted away from the national church towards new spiritual focal points.
The Hippie era of the 60s united for the first time masses of people that were on the quest for new values and solutions. They were free of conventions and tested playful new possibilities that built the foundation for nowadays accepted forms of living. A formerly bipolar world (God and labour) has become a dynamic, heterogeneous society in which consistency has been replaced by change.
New behaviours and regulation systems which are consolidated in a society have been developed and implemented in a playful manner since the beginning of mankind. Be it sacred soccer games, ritualised war games, knight‘s tournaments or the Olympic games. The list is long and embraces all cultures and eras. ,Homo ludens‘ as a foundation of our social, political, religious and cultural system has had a big development. Playing, which is significant for obtaining cognitive and motor capabilities has always been used by humans to test plots that eventually become rules in society.
At present entertainment and events have become the dominant cultural reference due to the influence and support of economy and mass media. However, playgrounds at the periphery of mass culture are socially much more significant. Here are the crystallisation points of new life forms that carry the potential to change society from within. Hence, the fifteen positions in ,SpielWiese‘ are examples of a human experimental attitude and a motivation to do so.
The development of society and labour in the 20th century is aligned with the changes of how we spend our leisure time. Issues as the changes in the worlds of labour and life, the future of labour and the compatibility of labour and family have dramatically changed our behaviour of how we spend our leisure time. A review of leisure time can only be made in this respect and has to be understood as a mirror of new focal points in life.
,Ora et Labora‘ served for a long time as an objective in life. Amusement was given socially a clear timeframe only: Carnival, Festivals and Sundays had to suffice. The economic boom in the 50s however yielded affluence and later more leisure time. And in the process of this development the traditional view of labour and leisure was torn apart and the religious centre of power shifted away from the national church towards new spiritual focal points.
The Hippie era of the 60s united for the first time masses of people that were on the quest for new values and solutions. They were free of conventions and tested playful new possibilities that built the foundation for nowadays accepted forms of living. A formerly bipolar world (God and labour) has become a dynamic, heterogeneous society in which consistency has been replaced by change.
New behaviours and regulation systems which are consolidated in a society have been developed and implemented in a playful manner since the beginning of mankind. Be it sacred soccer games, ritualised war games, knight‘s tournaments or the Olympic games. The list is long and embraces all cultures and eras. ,Homo ludens‘ as a foundation of our social, political, religious and cultural system has had a big development. Playing, which is significant for obtaining cognitive and motor capabilities has always been used by humans to test plots that eventually become rules in society.
At present entertainment and events have become the dominant cultural reference due to the influence and support of economy and mass media. However, playgrounds at the periphery of mass culture are socially much more significant. Here are the crystallisation points of new life forms that carry the potential to change society from within. Hence, the fifteen positions in ,SpielWiese‘ are examples of a human experimental attitude and a motivation to do so.
