by Martin Schibli Juan Carlos Peirone In a private garden in Lund, Juan Carlos Peirone has built a sculpture as part of his project: Far Away from Where? an art project. Like most of his other works, this project exists simultaneously in individual, social and political levels. One of its aims is to create a network of antipodes. Antipodes consist of two poles, each one opposite to the other. Every geographical point on Earth has its own antipode, but at the same time, each geographical point is in itself an antipode. Probably the most familiar to us is that of the North and South Pole, clearly visible on most globe maps. Globes are often mounted on an axis connecting the North and South Poles, allowing them to rotate around this axis. Up until now, Peirone has completed sculptures on both poles of this antipode: Gaim?n (Argentina) and Dzamin UY¨d (Mongolia); Dzemul (Mexico) and La Cumbre (Bolivia) are still waiting for their antipodal markings to be realized in the Indian Ocean and South China Sea. The geographical coordinates of Lund are 5.42 longitude North and 13.10 latitude East. During the exhibition at the Lund Konsthall, we will be able to follow PeironeÕs journey to the antipode of Lund in search for a site in which to build the sculpture, from the process of planning to the actual realization. LundÕs antipode, however, lies somewhere in the South Pacific, 55.42 longitude South and 166.50 Latitude West, between Antarctica and New Zealand. While we are in the springtime, waiting for the summer, in this area there is a predominantly stormy weather. Consequently, Peirone will set out for New Zealand in order to build his marking as close as possible to the coordinates. Uncertainty as to whether the antipodal marking can be completed within the period of the exhibition causes a certain tension. Artistic work is a struggle, with a clear possibility of a failure and, in this sense Peirone might still fail in his mission. On the other hand, however, most artistic work involves this possibility of failure and in the majority of cases, audiences are excluded from participating of an artistÕs failed attempts. In this case, this may yet happen, but any one of us is in the position to help him and be part of the successful realization of the project. Perhaps we have relatives or friends living in New Zealand who might be able to support the artist. If he has already succeeded, we can still help him build bread ovens in the Indian Ocean or the Sea of South China. PeironeÕs installation of a sculpture in a specific site may be seen as an act of annexation, just like a conqueror plants a flag or a missionary builds a church. Peirone also stakes a claim, both physically and conceptually. But Peirone actually reverses the process of annexation. Rather than annexing, he is reclaiming the notion of space for the individual and nature from space. Peirone reserves for himself the right to question established ideological structures in the world, such as the distinction between North and South, and to propose alternatives. By stressing this antipodal relation and by imposing several other possible antipodes, Peirone tries to divert attention and focus from the centre, from the point of origin, stressing the fact that we are all at opposite sides. This relativity of distance is also suggested by the title of the project. Peirone offers us other suggestions. In a political sense, the sculptures give us alternative points on the globe and therefore alternative distance. Peirone is clearly interested in how we define space. Space has both physical and geometrical dimensions, however, it is also a very fundamental aspect in connection to the way human beings define themselves. Different cultures have had different views of what space is and the development of these notions has followed different trajectories through history. The mapping of the world on the basis of latitude and longitude was an essential part of the history of modernism as a way to describe nature. The modernist mapping of the world resulted in the creation of borders and states, a cartography that is still with us today, causing all manner of problems. Peirone, however, himself uses the device of latitude and longitude to identify the place of the antipodes. Even the artist cannot escape the use of the geographical system claimed by modernism. What he can do, however, is to question the values and ideologies inherent in that system. Far Away from Where Ðan art project resembles Land Art both in the process and the realization of the sculptures. Land Art was also linked to minimalism, as the artists working in this field were very interested in space and its construction as well as the relationship between specific objects and that space. Minimalists did not like the fake, stressing, instead, the need for non-artificial structures. The space surrounding the object , the room, place and landscape were as important as the object itself. They meant that the object is always placed within a space and that, therefore, objects can also alter the space surrounding them and vice-versa. Consequently, space and object cannot be separated. For minimalists, this was not merely a visual aspect and possessed moral implications. Minimalism represented a moral struggle and could be described as the moral counterweight to the emerging consumer society in the United States. Anyone reading the writings of Donald Judd and Richard Serra knows that they viewed their own work as profoundly political. PeironeÕs sculptures have the character of bread ovens. The oven itself has metaphorical links with the notions of living, maternity and earth itself. As a practical tool, the oven has old references to the history of humanity. It reminds us of the time when we first settled down and began to cultivate the land, forming cultures. Even the material they are made of is reminiscent of this, since these ovens are made of bricks. A brick is itself cultivated clay. However, even if the ovens are solid structures, they require being taken care of. Peirone always tries to find a local host for his ovens. This might be a single person, a family or a local organization of some sort. In lund , the Johansson-Udriot family is the sculptureÕs host. The persons involved in the process can be seen as the builders of a nation of antipodes. Far Away from WhereÑan art project also has its own home page (www.faraway.nu) and we can follow PeironeÕs work and its process almost firsthand. The home page consists of excerpts from diaries narrating the artistÕs travels, photo albums of places visited and the people who were involved in the realization of the sculptures. As visitors to the home page, we can participate in the forum and discuss his work or other issues in connection with the project. At first glance, the home page resembles a labyrinth, possibly due to the fact that its pages have no real point of reference in relation to one and another, a fact that is coherent with his critique of the centre. On the other hand, one is easily transported from one page to another. Peirone himself calls this a non-hierarchical form of Space, a web. Peirone uses the Internet not as a copy of the world, but rather as its own virtual geography, which is open to changes and possibilities for creating alternative geographies. Peirone is not the only artist to have attempted a connection of the world in more human aspects. Calling for alternative structures. In Joseph BeuyÕs projects 7000 Eichen and the Khaki Tree project one could participate by planting a tree. One of Martin KippenbergerÕs last works, Metro Net consisted of the building of an imagined global underground metro system and he constructed entrances to this network in different cities around the world. All these examples can be seen as a struggle to tear down existing borders and the way to create a more human world. In the past decades, as consequence of the process of globalization, many people have said that physical space is no longer relevant. We exemplify it with ever-increasing physical communication, which makes it easier to travel. The Internet makes physical place more and more irrelevant. This is certainly true for some people, but for a large number of people, this is simply not true. Where you are born still is an essential determining factor in your future. Within the process of globalization, physical borders are used to keep people out at the same time that the West imposes free trade on goods. While, on the one hand governments and international trade organizations fight for free trade of goods and supports tourism and worldwide travel, on the other hand they also try to prevent people from moving to more affluent areas. Many geographical areas and regions of the world are fast becoming black holes in the globalized world very soon to be followed by entire continents. Peirone is an instigator. Wherever he goes, he must collaborate with other people, convincing them about the project, finding people willing to be part of the project. This may involve finding the geographical place or site for the construction of the sculpture or, also, finding hosts to maintain the sculpture once he has left the construction site. Peirone is open to suggestions, and as a participant, you may build your own oven and let it become part of the project. Or, alternatively, you could commission him to build one or just support financially one of his projects. The fact that almost anyone can participate in PeironeÕs project emphasizes its social dimension, making it an inherently democratic endeavor. In real life, each new oven will become part of an emerging network, each one a node in this network. The project will thus become a web where we are always located at opposite sides while at the same time we are united in the configuration of an antipode, always far way from somewhere. Peirone knows he cannot change the world by himself, but his efforts show that, at least, one can make a difference. Translation: Martin Schibli/Paul Beuchat |