Folke Köbberling and Martin Kaltwasser
Summer 2010
As South East False Creek begins its new life as Canada’s largest ‘green’ housing development, artist team Köbberling & Kaltwasser are working with materials recycled from the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games Athletes’ Village to create a situation of exchange and cooperation. On this interim land, which lays fallow for the time being, the artists are creating a 6 x 7 x 14m artwork that invites the participation of new neighbours to liberate the discarded, share excess, and contribute to the building of new forms and meanings.
Wheatboard panels from the Athlete’s Village are re-purposed as a sculpture which will break down and decompose from exposure to the particular conditions of Vancouver’s weather. The decomposing sculptural form will provide fodder for new growth – a temporary plant nursery claimed and nurtured by South East False Creek residents. When this site is developed further, the plants, shrubs and trees that will eventually overtake the sculpture will be offered for transplanting throughout this future development. Instigated by the artists, the future of the work lay with others, and is dependent upon how the new South East False Creek residents receive it and use it.
About the Artists:
Köbberling & Kaltwasser create situations that encourage the participation of diverse publics. Their work uses informal methods to make visible the transformation of begged, borrowed, donated, salvaged, and found materials into publicly used objects and spaces. They have exhibited extensively in Germany and internationally and were included in the 2009 Architecture Biennial in Sao Paulo and in the 2010 Poznan Biennial. Recent solo exhibitions include Power Plant / Chinati Foundation, Marfa; Galerie Anselm Dreher, Berlin; Ujadowski Castle CSW, Warsaw/PL; Architekturgalerie am Weißenhof, Stuttgart; Artforum Berlin; Lothringer 13/Laden, Munich; Simultanhalle, Cologne; and Shedhalle, Zurich. Recent works for public space include The Jellyfish Theatre in London’s city centre, Cars into Bicycles at Bergamot Station in Santa Monica, California and Trash Circulated, at the Werkleitz Festival.
When the Hosts Come Home is curated by Barbara Cole.
Presented by:
Other Sights for Artists Projects, with the generous support of:
