Art installation in public space, double-sided billboard, 5×5 m, Kunstinsel am Lenbachplatz, Munich, DE
Invited by the City of Munich
Situated on an open transit point, two words float on a double-sided billboard above greatly enlarged Polaroids – back-to-back. The depicted white characters refer to two large cultural regions; an oversized Hebrew and Arabic word stand out in public space.
Posters are meant to convey (advertising) information as quickly and concisely as possible. In CITY OF WORDS this is turned into absurdity. The two words, which remain illegible for many passers-by, are embedded on a blueish background, a greatly enlarged photographic Polaroid cut-out, opening another narrative dimension. Instead of reproducing the usual commercially crisp imagery, through the Polaroid aesthetic, the poetic aura of the everyday, the intimate, are shown. The Arabic and Hebrew script refer to the respective cultures and complex themes associated with them, which hold important space in the pluralistic metropolis, privately as well as politically, but are rarely visible in public spaces. Strikingly placed, they evoke a range of associations, questions, and emotions. The viewer’s perception of the public space changes – the place is opened up and simultaneously placed in tension. The translation of the words means Munich in both languages.
Thanks to
Vered Koren, Jürgen Jahn, Dr. Daniel Bürkn
