From 26 April until 24 May 2013 the Opernwerkstaetten Berlin transform into the “Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground“. More than 12 aspiring international artists present their installations on the subject of “Space and Art” on an area of 7,000 m², turning the historic building into a creative hotspot for both artists and visitors for four weeks. The Opernwerkstaetten Berlin are at Zinnowitzer Str. 9, the exhibition opens daily between 11 am and 7 pm.
All exhibits were specifically designed for the OM-D: Photography Playground.
- “What is space?”,
- “How do we perceive space?”,
- “How does (urban) space change?” or
- “How does the perception of space influence human behaviour?”
are the questions that form the topical framework. The artists’ approaches vary greatly: from graphical, sculptural, architectural, scenographic to dramaturgical. Abstract and theoretical works can be found as well as applied ones dealing with current socio-political aspects of the subject.
Beyond that, the Olympus system camera OM-D adds further, versatile dimensions to the reception of art. It can be borrowed for free at the entrance for a tour over the exhibition grounds. Through the lens, visitors can question habitual views and perspectives, discover layers that are not visible to the naked eye or examine the relation between reality and artistic alienation. The involvement with photography and its essential elements, such as lighting, pictorial language, composition, exposure time etc. takes place in a playful way and can be tested on location in the individual art rooms.
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Participating artists
Korean artist Jeongmoon Choi presents her extensive work “Drawing in Space”, which is illuminated by ultraviolet light. What at first glance appears like a coloured, delicate three-dimensional drawing, is a complex system of carefully spun singular threads.
Martin Butler, British artist and choreographer, sends the visitors of the installation “Alice through the keyhole”, with reference to Lewis Carroll’s famous novel, into his own, hallucinatory wonderland, turning their perception upside down.
SPEECH Tchoban & Kuznetsov present with “towninbox” a variation of their installation ”i-City”, which already attracted great attention in the Russian pavilion at the Biennale in Venice 2012.
Julian Charrière’s work “Undefined Horizons” provides insights into a lively and growing micro landscape made of active mould and bacteria cultures collected in the Opernwerkstaetten.
Zimoun stages an impressive interplay between cardboard and specially prepared DC motors. The spatial arrangement of “318 prepared dc-motors, cork balls, cardboard boxes, 100x100x100cm“ invites visitors to individually explore the delicate sound architecture.
The laser installation “OT_L_Space_01” by Shan Blume is a magic hybrid constructed of accessible architecture and sculpture, playing with the optical illusion of a room within a room.
With “Vanishing Point”, the London-based art and design office United Visual Artists realises a concept in which light as a constitutive element of architecture and room construction is staged artistically.
Numen / For Use weave several layers of flexible nets into the air and encourage visitors to explore their floating landscape „NET Berlin“.
In their cymatics laboratory “Sonic Water”, Sven Meyer & Kim Poerksen study water-sound images and give sound a visual form.
With his production “Was gestern war”, Tim John refers to the history of the old Opernwerkstaetten and creates a spectacular stage setting.
The Berlin-based fashion design duo Starstyling invites visitors to their professional photo studio “Settings”, where they can be model, photographer or both at the same time.
Finally, four students of the Universität der Kuenste / UDK Berlin (Mira Thoenessen, Rike Horb, Johanna Stock and Johannes Bansmann) give visitors the chance to test themselves and their structural engineering skills by altering the room they are in.
The Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground is a versatile, exciting, exceptional and also entertaining presentation of art – surprising, encouraging to experiment and giving food for thought.
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About the Olympus OM-D
It looks like the legendary Olympus OM from the seventies and convinces with ground-breaking technologies. The dust and splashproof OM-D is the first digital mirrorless system camera from Olympus with an integrated electronic viewfinder. In contrast to optical viewfinders, it allows checking the results of manual adjustments and the application of the creative art filters right away. Further highlights are the 5-axis image stabilisation (IS), the ultra-fast autofocus, an innovative 16MP Live MOS sensor and the powerful TruePic VI image processor. You can find more information in the Olympus Press Centre.
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Olympus OM-D: Photography Playground
The OM-D: Photography Playground opens daily from 26 April until 24 May 2013 at the Opernwerkstaetten Berlin between 11 am and 7 pm. Admission is free and visitors can rent the system camera OM-D from Olympus at no charge to discover the playground.
Patron: Jenny Falckenberg
Art direction: Leigh Sachwitz
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OM-D: Photography Contest
Following the theme „Create Your Own World“, visitors are invited to participate in the Olympus OM-D: Photography Contest and to submit their best images in the following two competition categories:
- Create Your Own Favourite Moment (any photographs that show unique moments, experimental / landscape / portraiture)
- Create Your Own Point Of View (creative photographs taken at the OM-D: Photography Playground)
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For further details, please visit the project website
→ www.createyourownworld.de
