MERZBAU REVISITED

First, open the xr.plus website on your smart device and allow access to the camera - you will find the links below. A box will appear asking you to search for an image previewed in the lower left corner of the frame. When you point the phone at the desired shot, a virtual 3D model is displayed.

The model remains loaded, so it is possible to manipulate it on the screen - rotate, zoom in and out. It is possible to aim the view elsewhere and "place" the 3D model in another environment. A total of eleven models are prepared for display in the AR environment.

The steps are illustrated below. You can browse the photos with the left and right arrows.

In the current pandemic situation, which restricts free movement and social contact, which also leads, among other things, to the closure of galleries, exhibitions and cultural institutions, works of art located in closed buildings have become inaccessible. However, in the limited conditions of social isolation, there is the possibility of at least partially overcoming the barrier and establishing a connection. The online workshop Merzbau Revisited organized by the Brno based artist and digital sculptor Helena Lukášová offered the possibility of international connection and communication. It was an incentive to work together in digital space. Establishing communication with artists from different parts of the world, their mutual cooperation, sharing and creation, in addition to the actual physical implementation of virtual objects, were an important aspect of the Merzbau Revisited project combining digital creation with participation, social ties and interaction.

The inspiration for Merzbau Revisited was Kurt Switters' lifelong Dadaist art project, the Merzbau building, which in its time (from the 1920s) marked a radical change in the perception of the work of art outside conventions. The changing and ever-growing building / object, growing through the ceiling and floors of Switters' dwelling, represented a living unfinished work of art, anticipating the idea of ​​the so-called open work, formulated by Umberto Eco in relation to literary works as well as contemporary fine art in the early 1960s. Openness, infinity, constant variability and variability have become the main inspiration for the creation of these digital sculptures, which offer endless possibilities.

During the workshop nine artists from diverse locations collaborated on works which were not preoccupied with reconstructing Schwitter's objects or its fragments, but about using the principle of a growing and changing sculptural work. These artists with prior experience with 3D modeling, have worked with data, scans, and virtual objects to create objects based on a myriad of visual models and digital masters; they worked with models of ancient sculptures and sculptures from museum collections, but also with everyday objects, natural products or fragments of the human body. They had models at their disposal in a shared digital library, which they were free to download from, share and use. The principle of data collection and creation of a collection of models in one common database / library is reminiscent of the Clause Oldenburg Mouse Museum project at MoMA in New York in 2013. In the virtual library, the models wait for further use and combination of various types and motifs into a final sculptural work. There was no predetermined aesthetic for the final works, it depended on the preferences and their own artistic approach of individual artists and on mutual cooperation, in which several authors shared a common virtual model. The only restrictions on the creation of sculptures were the technical limits determining the size of the sculptures and the complexity of the model in terms of its printability.

The character of individual virtual sculptures determines a largely intuitive approach to working in a digital environment. Instead of precise constructions, algorithms and technical models, Helena Lukášová during quarantine began working with 3D models in a way that is close to physical modeling and shaping of matter. The initial models, consisting of assemblages of various elements - figural and abstract, are kneaded, stretched, expanded and compressed as if they were made of rubber or plasticine. Their "softness" evokes the organic nature of works that appear to be alive and growing in space. One striking feature of the virtual sculptures is their visual appeal, enhanced by vibrant colors and shiny surfaces, reminiscent of current the style of post-internet aesthetics in the institutional art world, making them perfect pop products, or fetish sculptures.

The exhibition prepared on the occasion of Brno Art Week presents the results of a four-part workshop in public space, especially in the vicinity of the Brno House of Arts, the seat of Vašulka Kitchen Brno. The intangible nature of virtual sculptures allows the same sculptures to be placed at the same time in other cities around the world, such as New York, Düsseldorf, Mexico City, London, and Bratislava. At the same time, the statues can be viewed by spectators in different parts of the world. Using a smartphone or other devices, it is possible to load sculptures in a specific area of ​​the city, but also to model and move them using your device. Thus, viewer participation also becomes part of the game, who is invited to active participation and his own creative activity.

The size of the virtual exhibition in public space is specific for several reasons - it allows you to realize sophisticated art objects in places where their physical realization would be very expensive or technically unfeasible and the security of sculptures is eliminated due to their possible destruction or theft. An important feature of virtual sculptures is also that they are permanently present in public space, but at the same time they are not visible to ordinary passers-by. The works are thus simultaneously democratically accessible in accessible places in the city, but at the same time they are exclusive or exclusive and accessible only to a certain circle of viewers who know about their existence and have access to it. The element of secrecy, or insight into the principle of viewing an exhibition, may resemble similar systems used in well-known virtual games, such as Pokémon Go, in which participants load virtual characters in a similar way. Through this element of the game and the involvement of a wide group of spectators, we experience a sense of alliance and sharing of experiences, despite the significant limitations of live social contacts and communication.

Our gratitude to Brno Art Week for their cooperation during these difficult circumstances. 

https://brnoartweek.cz/
https://www.facebook.com/brno.art.week/.