KRIŠTOF KINTERA – NERVOUS TREES
2014-06-24“Nervous Trees” each consist of a substructure of branches on top of which sits a globe. The structure carries the sphere as though it were the body and the world its head. The upside-down branches are reminiscent of a system of veins or nerves in a biological organism. The installation’s individual pieces, which are up to three-and-a-half meters high, tremble at regular intervals according to a set logarithm, while the sound of the movement fills the space. It seems as though they have fallen victim to a nervous disorder, leading to their movements no longer being purposeful and keeping them on the spot, which makes it look as though they are performing a kind of dance.
The viewer looking at the “Nervous Trees” literally gains a different perspective onto planet earth. By breaking with ingrained viewing habits, Kintera is able to take a step back: The gap thus created provides space for reflection. The nervously twitching earth, wreathing and shivering as it sits on top of a system agonized through sensory overload, can certainly be understood as social criticism. Which is why it seems plausible to surmise that the artist calls our optimism concerning science and technology and society’s belief in progress into question. The “Nervous Trees” prompt us to think about the future of the Earth’s overly aggravated support system and in turn about the way in which we interact with our environment. Trees as “our planet’s lungs” constitute a fundamental, life-sustaining foundation which seems to have been thrown off kilter, endangering the Earth’s equilibrium in its shivering ballet.
Exhibition runs through to July 26th, 2014
Schleicher/Lange
Markgrafenstrasse 68
10969 Berlin
Germany
