In just over a month residents of Berlin will have the chance to vote in a referendum concerning the future of Tempelhofer Park. Since 2008, when the airport closed, the massive airfield has been open to the public as a space of leisure. Recent plans to build housing and a library on the site are threatening to privatize parts of the park and activist group 100% Tempelhof Feld has been at the forefront of bringing the decision to a popular vote, scheduled for May 25th.
Work in progress – Luftkollektivet, Tempelhofer Park; photo by Alison Hugill
Scandinavian art collective Luftkollektivet have taken the opportunity to launch their annual meeting on the field this year, where they are currently in the midst of creating site-specific works.
Berlin-based Norwegian artist Regine Osbakk gave me a tour of the work-in-progress at the Plattenvereinigung building this weekend. The group of nine artists from Norway and Sweden are working in a rotational schema: each artist has initiated a work based on their response to the airport site, in varying degrees of literalness and in different media from found objects to video work.
Work in progress – Luftkollektivet, Tempelhofer Park; photo by Alison Hugill
Osbakk, for example, is interrogating the horizon and perception of the park. The small two-room concrete building located next to the skatepark has one full floor-to-ceiling window with a view to the west side of the park. Osbakk began her project by smearing vaseline on the mid-section of the window, creating a blurred effect on the horizon. The other participants will build upon this work and move around the space completing each other’s ideas. The challenge is to let go of their grasp on personal authorship and try to collaboratively build up an exhibition, outside the traditional gallery space.
Luftkollektivet meets once a year for a one week work-in-progress exhibition. Each year they work at a new location, aiming to achieve results that they would not be able to accomplish while working alone in their studios. The process of creating the works is open to the participating artists and to the public.
The exhibition finissage, documenting the process of each work, will start at 5pm on Wednesday, with a live sound performance by Joni Hyvönen.
Other participating artists include: Jessica Bloom (SE), Line Anda Dalmar (NO), Sarah Jost (SE), Karen Pettersen (NO), David A. Rios (NO) and Siri Sandersen (NO).
Work in progress – Luftkollektivet, Tempelhofer Park; photo by Alison Hugill
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Additional Information
PLATTENVEREINIGUNG TEMPELHOFER FREIHEIT
“Luftkollektivet” – GROUP SHOW
Workshop: Apr. 12 – Apr. 16, 2014, 9:30am – 5:30pm daily
Finissage: Wednesday, Apr. 16, 7pm
Plattenvereinigung, Tempelhofer Freiheit (click here for map)
More information about the Luftkollektivet: www.luftkollektivet.wordpress.com
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Blog entry by Alison Hugill in Berlin; Monday, Apr. 14, 2014.
