Privatized Trickle

Walking through the city of Salzburg the distinction between private and public is a challenge.

 

The salty city belongs to everyone, yet robbing the public through privatization is a public hobby of politicians.

 

 

What about this peculiar corner here ↓ ?

 

 

 

According to the artist → Andreas Siekmann the cow on the right is a "mute witnesses of a broad economic transformation, as part of which many areas of public life have been sold to private investors."

 

Siekmann and his partner → Alice Creischer are two of the most prolific political and analytical contemporary artists dealing with postcolonial conditions, revolutionary thinking and the social situations that both produce art and are produced through it. 4 years ago the couple was giving a course at the Summer Academy: plasticine modelling, stage design and animation video combined.

 

 

 

(Photo by Marion Kalter 2010)

 

The city marketing plastic figures, "mute witnesses of a broad economic transformation" were slaughtered by Andreas Siekmann in 2007, making the "mute witnesses" speak about the reality behind them. He mashed them together into a huge ball exhibiting this together with the very machine that slaughtered the plastic. The complex work entitled "Trickle Down - Public Space in the Age of its Privatization" is based on his analysis of corporate citizenship ideology and how it is transforming 600 german cities that use the plastic brand figures and privatize their public space. Here is the very informative →Glossary to the project.

 

Now the sulpture is in Salzburg. The crane has just placed it where Andreas wanted it to stand.

 

 

 

 (Photo by Rainer Iglar - Thanky you!)

 

Andreas says "Here!" showing the exact point where he wants the sculpture to stand. The museum director Sabine Breitwieser yells "You! Move away from there! You will get the thing in your back!"

The exhibition → Art/Histories that contains "Trickle Down" opens tomorrow at the Museum der Moderne. I was lucky to getAndreas Siekmann for an interview just when the sculpture arrived. Sorry for calling the work "Trickle Down Effect" when it is actually called "Trickle Down"!