AMONG THEM (2002 - 2005)
100 ravens : chickenwire, jute strip, plaster, paint and soundsystem
100 cuervos : alambre, bandas de yute, yeso, pintura y equipo de sonido
100 corbeaux : fil de fer et grillage à poule, bande de jute, plâtre, peinture et sono
Presented at Möchkirche, Salzwedel, Germany, 2005, at Synagogue, Kibla, Maribor, Slovenia, 2003, at Eglise des Jesuites, Sion, Switzerland, 2003, Tranzit Foundation, Cluj, Rumania 3-18 October 2002 and at At Home gallery, Samoria, Slovakia, 3-22 September 2002
Möchkirche, Salzwedel, Germany, 2005
Synagogue, Kibla, Maribor, Slovenia, 2003
Eglise des Jesuites, Sion, Switzerland, 2003
Tranzit Foundation, Cluj, Rumania 3-18 October 2002
At Home gallery, Samoria, Slovakia, 3-22 September 2002
Among Them is a project that was conceived after the merging of two books, “Mind of the Ravens” by Bernd Heinrich and “Différence et répétition” by Gilles Deleuze.
The project related visual art to science, philosophy and music. In each exhibition venue where it was presented, a local composer was invited to think a sound piece using the 17 sounds that crows use to communicate in society. These sounds were granted by two Swiss scientists from the University of Bern in zoology who during a period of 10 years studied and investigated the phenomenon of communication in bird communities by recording the communications they made in a defined location in order to discover their customs and habits.
As the installation was presented the piece acquired new readings, especially in Europe as one of the main topics “migration’ became year after year more present. As moving this installation from one venue and country to another was like organizing some kind of migration.
The positioning of the crows in the exhibition spaces where "Among Them" was presented was also related to the position of the nests that appeared in the scientists' maps. Each piece is a unique piece referring to the philosophy of Gilles Deleuze in his theory between difference and repetition. The choice to exhibit this project only in desacralized religious spaces was intentional, with the purpose of intensifying the symbolic load that the animal has in religion and history in general. Likewise, not only was a visual effect achieved in confrontation with architecture with strong characteristics, but also at the emotional and symbolic level.
It was presented in five desacralized religious spaces transformed into art and cultural venues. It is an installation that consists of 100 sculptures of crows, each a unique piece, installed in the specific exhibition space, which pose a relationship between symbolism and sculptural narrative. The project was presented in 2002 at At Home Gallery, Samoria, Slovakia, and Tranzit Foundation Cluj, Romania, in 2003 at the Maribor Synagogue with the Kibla art Foundation of Slovenia, and at the Eglise des Jesuites of Sion, venue runned by the Museum of Fine Arts of this Swiss city. In 2005 a new presentation took place in the Mönchkirsche of Salzwedel, Germany, organized by the Kulturamt of the city.
The production and the exhibition tour was supported by the Culture 2000 program of the European Union and the Pro Helvetia, the Swiss foundation for culture, the French embassy in Romania and Germany and other private sponsors.