Ground control to Major Tom

Sam Steverlynck
© Agenda Magazine
18/01/2012
Komplot is a curators’ collective that settled in a space a stone’s throw away from Wiels some time ago. The collective organises not only exhibitions but also lectures and workshops. For example, it recently invited Nikolay Oleynikov – an artist of the well-known Russian collective Chto Delat – to launch a project with a group of students from Sint-Lukas, La Cambre, and other academies. The result of this collaboration – and the workshops that preceded it – resulted in a mural. The artists sought their inspiration in Russian science fiction of the 1920s and 1930s. Three murals and – very extensive – pieces of text sketch a story that refers to current society – as befits science fiction. The narrative begins on 15 December 2012 when a treaty is signed by the elites of Earth, the Moon, and Venus at the Justus Lipsius Building. The agreement is illustrated on the first wall with a portrait of the interplanetary representative Mr Hu Jintao beside an alien. During the meeting, it is decided that members of the creative class of the elites may spend time in a zero gravity cocoon because they will have a greater chance of developing their ideas. The last panel depicts a battle between an earthling and an alien – the backdrop of which is a geometric pattern by the avant-garde artist El Lissitzky. The battle results in a kind of cosmic explosion. Despite the long sections of text, the story itself is rather thin, but the objective of the whole workshop goes further than merely the final product. For example, an adjoining space functions as a documentation centre displaying all kinds of books, texts, and preparatory sketches that explore the issues more deeply. You can also watch a fine Russian science fiction film from the 1930s that inspired the mural.

Zero Gravity Revolt > 10/2, do/je/Th > za/sa/Sa 14 > 18.00, gratis/gratuit/free,
KOMPLOT, avenue Van Volxemlaan 295, Vorst/Forest,
0484-71.31.75, info@kmplt.be, www.kmplt.be

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