Original artwork description:

64x84 cm each, installation dimensions variable | Filler, oak frame

This work is installed by hanging the panels from just one fix point in the upper left corner. The angle in which they hang is depending on the relationship between their shape and gravity. The images status as physical objects is emphasised.

The work deals with whether, or to what degree, art or any statement made using language, is to be considered proper action with physical consequences in the real world. Is art a useful field for activism, and what agency is there in opinion-making anyway? What difference is there between just talking about things and actually doing them? The term "this is not a drill" is a title of a handbook in activism by the environmental organisation Extinction Rebellion. No drill suggests, in general, a severe situation that calls for immediate action but can, in particular, apply to climate change and oil production.

The title implies that any statement has to be read accordingly to the context it's given in. What is the position of the sender in the overall power structure? The material circumstances are decisive for all parties in any discussion. What does it mean to support or fund positions that criticise or act against your interest? What does it mean to accept that support?

Finally, the title highlights the fact that the relationship between a name, a title, or any word for that matter, to the physical reality - to the truth - is entirely arbitrary.

Materials used:

Filler (coarse and fine) in oak frame

Tags: