Exhibition / Urban Miracles / Bludenz, Austria

Remise Bludenz, 2010.

 

All utopias are depressing, because they leave no room for chance, for difference, for the “miscellaneous”. Everything has been set in order and order reigns. Behind every utopia there is always some great taxonomic design: a place for each thing and each thing in its place. (Georges Perec, Species of Spaces and Other Stories)

 

Who still believes in miracles? And what are actually urban miracles ? How much insistence, courage, boldness, despair and confidence is needed to make miracles happen in the public/ urban space and in socio-political realm? transparadiso has invited artists/ urbanists/ architects/ cultural producers from different cultural contexts to discuss these aspects and show their personal experience and interpretation of miracles happening in the public realm and urban space.

In spite of self-censorship and pragmatism resulting from experience and obvious restrictions artists, urbanists and architects keep insisting in making the impossible happen. Miracles amaze the most when they are least expected or seem to be completely impossible. We do not believe in miracles, yet sometimes they happen. Or does believing and hoping contribute to the chance of making a miracle happen? Is it not the artist/ architect/ writer sometimes who produces that specific energy which seems as if in vein, to be in the wrong place, at the wrong time, and counteracting the pragmatism of today by producing a necessary, incalculable something, which one might wish to acquire more presence?

Miracles – especially urban miracles – are not linked to a scientific definition or theoretical category but rather to amazement. Therefore the contributions of the participants reflect their personal approach and interpretation of Urban Miracles. They offer a range of visible and surprisingly successful miracles in urban space to more poetic-narrative spaces which could eventually lead to miracles in real space.

If one has in mind that each miracle is preceded by a longing, one might explore the potential of transferring the Urban Miracle to the Regional Miracle, or consider how a Regional Miracle could start on its own.

 

Exhibiting artists: Michael Ashkin, Community Museum Project, CĂ©line Condorelli, Teddy Cruz, feld72, Osservatorio Urbano/ Lungomare, public works, Jens Emil Sennewald, Allan Siegel, SMAQ, Gerald Straub, transparadiso, Georg Winter. Concept: transparadiso.

 

Remise Bludenz | Galerie allerArt
22.1.-21.2.2010

Catalog published by Bucher Verlag, ed. by transparadiso
ISBN 978-3-902679-89-5

exhibitions, news
07/01/2010