EINE BERGGESCHICHTE
The work is an answer to the invitation from Kunstraum Dornbirn and their contract, which implies that the artist is not paid a fee for his contribution but will be able to produce a work specifically for Kunstraum Dornbirn – a work that will become the property of the artists when the exhibition period has ended. The work is a reaction to said invitation and the implied contract as well as the spatial qualities of Kunstraum Dornbirn and the historical parameters such as industrialisation – the exhibition space as a former montage hall – and representation of nature as seen in the adjacent museum inatura. Kunstraum Dornbirn has “art and nature” as its conceptual indicator and provides a platform for artists working within this context.
The geodesic dome is constructed by a system of triangles covered by a lightweight material. This method of construction provides a weatherproof design. The most famous example of a geodesic dome is the US pavilion at EXPO 67 designed by the American architect, inventor and theorist Buckminster Fuller.
Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic architecture was a source of inspiration for many hippies who created their own D.I.Y. geodesic tents using recycled materials.The Sundance Camp (more info: www.sundancecamp.com) has been a reference point for producing Geodesic Tent Structure. Through these connections Buckminster Fuller’s geodesic dome is being linked with rational strands of ecology and D.I.Y. hippie culture. Other examples of the geodesic dome being used as a temporary building for alternative way of living can be found at http://simplydifferently.org/ (which also features a calculator to be used for designing domes. The calculator has also been used to design Geodesic Tent Structure) and http://www.desertdomes.com/, which ditrectly takes its inspiration from Buckminster Fuller and also has valuable information in regard to constructing geodesic domes for many different uses. At Sundance Camp the dome is, for instance, being used to house a yoga centre.
Construction: galvanized steel tubes in 9 different lengths, membrane: recycled commercial vinyl mega-posters (also known as: building wraps)
Dimensions: d: 12.5 m, h: 6.50 m
Courtesy the artist and Galerie Johann König, Berlin
Shown in Kunstraum Dornbirn, Austria 13.09.2012 – 04.11.2012
Photocredit: Sarah Egartner