DIAGRAM OF DISPLACED DISPLAYS
Video, 10 min (2012)
Maria Andersson's DIAGRAM OF DISPLACED DISPLAYS indulges in a fetishized understanding of the architecture and the furniture of the Italian Cultural Institute in Stockholm. Gio Ponti, architect and designer, was born in Milan in 1891 and appointed in the fifties to design the new institute by C.M. Lerici, an Italian engineer and a patron of the arts. Ponti wanted to create the building as a total work of art, as a stage where the people would be in the center. For him architecture signified a way to interpret the meaning of life. The design is even said to have hidden meanings. Indeed, Ponti's design still captivates the visitors.
Most of the furniture that are on display at the institute are original examples designed by Ponti in 1958 when the building was inaugurated. In her video sculpture Andersson zooms in and takes a close look at the surfaces, the materials and the colours of the furniture on display in the foyer where the work is exhibited. The work balances between the desiring and fetishizing approach and the observant and
investigative one, simultaneously devouring the aesthetic of the design items and analysing the viewing process. Andersson's video work integrates with the design of the room and creates new layers for perceiving the surroundings of the space.
In her previous works Andersson has often discussed the relations between social and architectural structures in public or private spaces. The relations between the interior and the exterior are discussed also at the Italian institute by creating strong contrasts between the introspective gaze of the video sculpture and the openness of the space it is presented in. The starting point of the work lies in thinking about the ways of relating to the architecture of the institute, and in letting oneself be seduced by the space. DIAGRAM OF DISPLACED DISPLAYS dwells into a world created by objects of desire and obstinate repetition, and searches for a reorganization of existing boundaries.
Text: Elina Suoyrjö, Curator
Volumi Contrastanti/Kontrasterande Volymer, The Italian Culture Institute, Stockholm, 2012
Video stills:
Installation view, The Italian Cultural Institute, Stockholm:
Exhibition flyer:
