carsten nicolai: autoR

detail of ‘autor’ © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

carsten nicolai: autoR temporäre kunsthalle berlin on now until august 31st, 2010

‘autoR’ by german artist carsten nicolai (aka alva noto) is a project realized on the façade of the temporäre kunsthalle berlin. the piece is conceived as a self-organizing process to which visitors actively contribute by applying stickers, designed by nicolai, to the building’s exterior. the installation’s title is derived from the greek auto (founded on itself), plus the letter ‘R’, creating the author who brings forth something new. in the context of the project, the visitors take on the role of author, combining personal decisions with the tools provided by the artist to drive forward this interactive, creative design process. the regular geometric shape produced in seven different colors becomes a module that can be combined on the façade of the kunsthalle into freely designed forms, clusters and structures. ‘autoR’ foregrounds the decisive influence of randomness and process in determining the overall appearance of the work.

‘autoR’ at the temporäre kunsthalle berlin © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

‘autoR’ at the temporäre kunsthalle berlin © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

up close of ‘autoR’ © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

general view of temporäre kunsthalle berlin with ‘autoR’ in progress © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

general view of temporäre kunsthalle berlin with ‘autoR’ in progress © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

temporäre kunsthalle berlin – phase 1 © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

the project in total consists of three phases. it is currently in the final phase. during phase 1, the kunsthalle was covered with sheets of white PVC. the resulting empty surface contrasted with the numerous advertising images and architectural projections on the schlossplatz in which it is located – the ‘blank exterior’ represented a kind of zero state, a space of possibility.

temporäre kunsthalle berlin – phase 1 © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by benjamin pritzkuleit

temporäre kunsthalle berlin – phase 2 image courtesy of carsten nicolai

phase 2 invited visitors to use aerial work platforms to begin applying the stickers to the façade to a height of up to eleven meters.

visitors on aerial platforms applying stickers to the building’s exterior © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by rené zieger

young visitors engaging in the ‘autoR’ project © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by rené zieger

visitors become ‘authors’ of the work by participating © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by rené zieger

the stickers are a regular geometric shape produced in seven different colors © carsten nicolai, VG bild-kunst, bonn 2010 courtesy galerie EIGEN + ART, leipzig/berlin und pacewildenstein photo by rené zieger

currently, ‘autoR’ is in phase 3 in which visitors are invited to continue applying more stickers to the exterior of the building until the conclusion of the project. the result is a permanently changing surface whose appearance is shaped by a dynamic, interactive process that is open to the public.

detail of the constantly transforming façade image courtesy of carsten nicolai