“Berenice” by Motohiko Odani
In the 2004 edition of the Venice Biennale, there was this intriguing piece of work by Motohiko Odani and called Berenice:
Thomas Kramar:
Ein Stockwerk höher, unter anderen räumlichen Krümmungen dieses so seltsam in sich gekrümmten Kunsthauses, liegt eine Art Ufo: eine Kugel, wirr verkabelt, schon leicht angerostet, aber immer noch vibrierend, wie kürzlich gestrandet auf einem gleichgültigen Planeten: “Berenice” heißt das Objekt von Motohiko Odani - nach der antiken ägyptischen Stadt?
Why do I blog this? I like this big white sphere plugged with cables; it looks like a left nuclear weapon that is curious, intriguing and maybe about to explode (a la Akira); or pulsing “information”. In the end it interrogates people about its role: would it be the “consciousness” (the place where information flows converge) of a place? To me, it can be the server of a city district that would enable to host what is needed to have a mixed reality. And of course, it might be left in an old cave that nobody can access.
April 22nd, 2007 at 8:24 pm
This piece speaks in many levels usually leaning towards the post-apocalyptic/new-solution environment, but I definitely find a connection with your last remark, where there is a certain release from this object, forgotten from a different past, with its contents ever the more precious. Our curiousity lingers which it almost feeds on with its extensive cables searching for an outlet. Though I find much empathy in this aesthetic, I am criticized for my own work as well, for being too close to science fiction. The only thing that bugs me about this is the obvious reference to that pop culture image of ‘Akira’ and his precious doomsday contents. Sci-Fi is righteous, pop Sci-Fi I feel is weak. Without a doubt, Odani is one of my favorite artists, having witnessed an exhibit of his in Mexico City, MX, though this piece was not present, but I wondered if he relies sometimes too much on these pop references to illustrate his concept.