INSTALLATION / VITENSENTERET I TRONDHEIM, March 8 – May 3, 2020
Opening March 8 @ 12:00 / Opening hours: Mon – Fri 10:00 – 16:00 / Sat – Sun 11:00 – 17:00
Curator: Espen Gangvik
VERENA FRIEDRICH [de]
THE LONG NOW
Photo: Kristof Vrancken
A soap bubble usually remains stable for only a few moments – it is a perfectly formed sphere with an iridescent surface that reflects its surroundings. However, due to the force of gravity and the thinning of the membrane it bursts after a few seconds and is irretrievably lost. As one of the classical vanitas symbols the soap bubble traditionally stands for the transience of the moment and the fragility of life.
THE LONG NOW approaches the soap bubble from a contemporary perspective – with reference to its chemical and physical properties as well as recent scientific and technological developments.
THE LONG NOW is aimed at extending the lifespan of a soap bubble, to preserve it forever if possible. Using an improved formula, a machine generates a bubble, sends it to a chamber with a controlled atmosphere and keeps it there in suspension for as long as possible. The project is presented in the form of an experimental set-up in which the newly created soap bubble oscillates permanently between fragility and stability.
Photo: Max Pauer
CREDITS:
Realised within the framework of EMARE Move On at OBORO’s New Media Lab and a residency at Rustines|Lab, Perte de Signal, both in Montréal, Canada. With support of the Culture Programme of the European Commission, the Goethe Institut, the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec and FACT.
Header image: Kristof Vrancken
Verena Friedrich is an artist creating time-based installations in which organic, electronic and sculptural media come into play. She was an artist in residence i. a. at “SymbioticA – Centre of Excellence in Biological Arts” at the University of Western Australia and at the Max Planck Institute for Biology of Ageing Cologne in Germany.
Verena Friedrich ́s projects have been presented internationally in the context of exhibitions, media art festivals and conferences. She received the International Media Award for Science and Art from ZKM Karlsruhe 2005; a special mention in the VIDA 13.2 Art & Artificial Life Awards; an honorary mention in the Prix Ars Electronica 2015; a jury mention in the Japan Media Arts Festival 2015 and the Transitio_MX award in 2017.
In recent years she has been teaching at the University of Art and Design Offenbach and the Bauhaus University Weimar, both in Germany. Currently she’s an assistant professor and co-heading the ‘exMedia Lab’ at the Academy of Media Arts Cologne, Germany.