Notes on the work as a mirror
Autor / Author
Ana Maria Tavares
Data / Date
2008
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The intent to promote a dialogue among drawing, design, sculpture and architecture has been a strong aspect of my production since its early beginning in the eighties. It became even more intense in the nineties through the introduction of elements which transformed both the conventional object/sculpture into functional pieces (defined as “support structures for the body”) and the exhibition spaces into a familiar, but yet suspended and almost virtual reality. The “structures” conceived were inspired by the elements and details usually found in the context of hospitals, fitness rooms and, most importantly, in the non-spaces or spaces of transit such as subways, stations airports, lounges, waiting rooms, highways and shopping centers. Urban furniture, designed for public spaces or city buses and metros, for example, became items of high interest for observation. The investigation of these public spaces and their great flux of people was considered to be the very basis for the development of the work and led to the attentive observation of collective behavior in such regulated environments. I became interested in how these non-places with their well furnished and “designed to fit” ambiences promote a feeling of status and empowerment and create an illusion of togetherness and interaction. In fact, they reveal themselves as providers of all kinds of solitary tensions and emotions, frequently experienced by their users. As distraction and indifference seemed to me to be the most common state of being in these specific places, I began to formulate a series of installations and works which transformed the concepts of distraction and indifference into radical experiences in order to reconnect oneself to a state of alertness and of critical consciousness. As a result, the simulated ambiences furnished with functional pieces, moving images (3D animation videos or films) and sound pieces revealed a strange life that seemed to be ultimately at rest, suspended or simply frozen, as if one could inhabit a still-life painting. These spaces achieved a strange and disturbing nature and became a place where the visitor was left to ask, “Where am I?” “What am I doing?” “Where am I going?” I imagine there is no single answer to these questions; they have helped me to create an awareness which can be revealed by the affirmation, 

The intent to promote a dialogue among drawing, design, sculpture and architecture has been a strong aspect of my production since its early beginning in the eighties. It became even more intense in the nineties through the introduction of elements which transformed both the conventional object/sculpture into functional pieces (defined as “support structures for the body”) and the exhibition spaces into a familiar, but yet suspended and almost virtual reality. The “structures” conceived were inspired by the elements and details usually found in the context of hospitals, fitness rooms and, most importantly, in the non-spaces or spaces of transit such as subways, stations airports, lounges, waiting rooms, highways and shopping centers. Urban furniture, designed for public spaces or city buses and metros, for example, became items of high interest for observation. The investigation of these public spaces and their great flux of people was considered to be the very basis for the development of the work and led to the attentive observation of collective behavior in such regulated environments. I became interested in how these non-places with their well furnished and “designed to fit” ambiences promote a feeling of status and empowerment and create an illusion of togetherness and interaction. In fact, they reveal themselves as providers of all kinds of solitary tensions and emotions, frequently experienced by their users. As distraction and indifference seemed to me to be the most common state of being in these specific places, I began to formulate a series of installations and works which transformed the concepts of distraction and indifference into radical experiences in order to reconnect oneself to a state of alertness and of critical consciousness. As a result, the simulated ambiences furnished with functional pieces, moving images (3D animation videos or films) and sound pieces revealed a strange life that seemed to be ultimately at rest, suspended or simply frozen, as if one could inhabit a still-life painting. These spaces achieved a strange and disturbing nature and became a place where the visitor was left to ask, “Where am I?” “What am I doing?” “Where am I going?” I imagine there is no single answer to these questions; they have helped me to create an awareness which can be revealed by the affirmation,