Emblem (Monument for nothing I) 2002

09.08-31.09.2002
Site specific installation in the chapterhouse of
"Saint Mary of Valldigna" Monastery, Valencia, Spain.

Produced with the support of KKWV UdK-Berlin.

The chosen location for the artist’s intervention was a chapterhouse, a space which served in the past as a meeting and decision-making place for the community of the monastery and is built in the 15th century gothic style. The four upper corners of the room are decorated with sculptures of the Four Evangelists: these small works of art are the only signs that remind the visitor the importance of this part of the Monastery.
By focusing on these figures the artist wishes to address the role of religious symbolism in contemporary culture. More specifically, the question that her project raises is:

What is the definition and significance (importance as well as signification) of symbols if no longer recognisable?

The object installed in one of these corners is a red nylon form connected with a ventilator. This mechanism causes the movement of the form. Its random, indeterminate motion contrasts with the strict and precise design of the building representing thus the relation between past and contemporary society. It also moves with the slightest wind.

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© Eleni Papaioannou 2002