In conversation for the exhibition catalogue "Limits to Growth" by Nicholas Mangan (Sternberg Press, 2016)

Mon, Oct 31 2016

Photos: Latitudes.

After much anticipation, we are elated to see (and touch!) Latitudes' five-part interview with Nicholas Mangan as part of his exhibition catalogue "Nicholas Mangan. Limits to Growth" (Sternberg Press, 2016). The publication is designed by Žiga Testen and includes newly commissioned texts by Ana Teixeira Pinto and Helen Hughes, alongside illustrations of Mangan's work and historical source material.

The five-part interview weaves together a discussion around five of his recent works ‘Nauru, Notes from a Cretaceous World’ (2009), ‘A World Undone’ (2012), ‘Progress in Action’ (2013), ‘Ancient Lights’ (2015) and his newest piece ‘Limits to Growth’ (2016) commissioned for this exhibition survey. Latitudes’ dialogue with Mangan, began around a research trip to Melbourne in 2014 and continued in the form of the public conversation event that took place at the Chisenhale Gallery, London, in 2015, as well as over Skype, email, snail mail and walks.

The publication release coincides with Mangan's eponymous exhibition survey which began in July in Melbourne's Monash University Museum of Art and just opened this past weekend in Brisbane's IMA. The show will further tour to Berlin's KW Institute for Contemporary Art in the Summer of 2017.

"Nicholas Mangan. Limits to Growth"
Publisher: Sternberg Press with the Institute of Modern Art, Brisbane; KW Institute for Contemporary Art, Berlin; and Monash University Museum of Art, Melbourne.
Editor: Aileen Burns, Charlotte Day, Krist Gruijthuijsen, Johan Lundh.
Texts: Latitudes, Helen Hughes, Ana Teixeira Pinto
Design: Žiga Testen;
October 2016, English;
17 x 24 cm, 246 pages + 2 inserts, edition of 1500;
40 b/w and 102 colour ill., with colour poster and postcard Softcover;
ISBN 978-3-95679-252-6;
30 Euros.

RELATED CONTENT:

Interview with Nicholas Mangan for his forthcoming catalogue ‘Limits to Growth’, 20 Abril 2016;
Cover Story, July 2015: Nicholas Mangan’s ‘Ancient Lights’
Locating Ancient Lights signs around London with Nicholas Mangan;
In conversation with the artist Nicholas Mangan at Chisenhale Gallery, London, 7 July 2015, 19h. 22 June 2015;
Interview 'What Lies Beneath' between Nicholas Mangan and Mariana Cánepa Luna of Latitudes, Mousse Magazine #47, February–March 2015
Max Andrews' of Latitudes feature article 'Landscape Artist', Frieze #172, June–August 2015.

2016, Australia, catalogue, Chisenhale, conversations, Ecology, energy use, interview, Nicholas Mangan, Publication, solar energy

In conversation with the artist Nicholas Mangan at Chisenhale Gallery, London, 7 July 2015, 19h.

Mon, Jun 22 2015

Nicholas Mangan, Still from 'Ancient Lights', 2014–5. Courtesy LABOR, Mexico City; Sutton Gallery, Melbourne; and Hopkinson Mossman, Auckland.

On July 7 at 19h Latitudes will lead a conversation with the Melbourne-based artist Nicholas Mangan on the occasion of his solo show 'Ancient Lights' (3 July–23 August 2015) at Chisenhale Gallery. They will discuss his ongoing investigations into the relationship between energy and social transformation as well as his latest film installation premiered in the exhibition and powered entirely by on-site solar panels placed on the roof of the gallery building.

'Ancient Lights' is produced in partnership with Artspace, Sydney, where it will be presented as part of his solo exhibition, Other Currents, in September 2015.

Nicholas Mangan (1979) lives and works in Melbourne, Australia. Recent exhibitions include 'Art in the Age of…', Witte de With, Rotterdam; 'Anthropocene Moment', Les Abattoirs, Toulouse (both 2015); 'Octopus', Gertrude Contemporary, Melbourne; 'Concrete', Monash Museum of Art, Melbourne; 'Melbourne Now', National Gallery of Victoria, Melbourne (all 2014). He participated in the '2015 New Museum Triennial: Surround Audience', New York; 9th Bienal do Mercosul, Porto Alegre; and the 13th Istanbul Biennial (both 2013).

This event is free. Reserve a place via Chisenhale's Eventbrite.

RELATED CONTENT:

Interview 'What Lies Beneath' between Nicholas Mangan and Mariana Cánepa Luna of Latitudes, Mousse Magazine #47, February–March 2015.

Max Andrews' of Latitudes feature article 'Landscape Artist', Frieze #172, June–August 2015.

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This is the blog of the independent curatorial office Latitudes. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
All photos: Latitudes | www.lttds.org (except when noted otherwise in the photo caption).
Work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

2015, Chisenhale, conversations, energy use, event, latitudes, London, Nicholas Mangan, solar energy

Publication "A Chronology of Energy- and Art-Related Developments (2013, ongoing)" edited by Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller

Wed, Jul 17 2013

Cover of "A Chronology of Energy-Related Developments (2013, ongoing)".

Photo: Edizioni Periferia.

Last week we received a copy of the wonderful publication by Zürich-based artists Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, with whom we have collaborated twice in the past, on the Portscapes commission series in 2009 (see photos of project here and a 'making of' video here) and on their solo exhibition 'United Alternative Energies' in 2011 in Kunsthal Århus, Denmark.

Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller maintain the thesis that throughout history, culture and energy have been reciprocal entities: technological change determines cultural achievements and vice versa.

Title page with contributors names. This and the following photos: Latitudes.

Their publication "A Chronology of Energy-Related Developments (2013, ongoing)" is based on the appendix of the six-volume "Encyclopedia of Energy" (2004). Its 64-page appendix sums up historical events of relevance to energy since the existence of Earth. In collaboration with 32 art historians (including Steven Jacobs, Andreas Vogel, Dorothee Messmer), curators (including Fiona Parry, Pedro de Llano and ourselves) and cultural theorists (including Yvonne Volkart, Anke Hoffmann, Rolf-Peter Sieferle) and concluding with an epilogue by Bice Curiger, former Kunsthaus Zürich's curator, the artists have supplemented the appendix (white pages) with «art-related» entries (yellow pages) in words and pictures.

Endpapers of the publication based on the appendix of the six-volume "Encyclopedia of Energy" (2004).

Latitudes contributed six entries, those of 1901 (Giacomo Balla's "Street Light"), 1956 (Atsuko Tanaka's "Electric Dress"), two entries for 1972 (Victor Grippo's "Energy of a Potato" and Gustav Metzger's "Project for Stockholm (phase 1)", ca. 1987 (Fischli & Weiss's "The Way Things Go") and 2003 (Simon Starling's "Tabernas Desert Run").

The book was made possible by a Dr. Georg und Josi Guggenheim-Stiftung 2012 grant.

Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller
182 pages, 20 x 27 cm, in two colours, linen binding
Edizioni Periferia
ISBN: 978-3-906016-24-5
CHF 38 / EUR 30
Purchase here.

This is the blog of the independent curatorial office Latitudes. You can also follow us on Facebook and Twitter.
All photos: Latitudes (except when noted otherwise in the photo caption)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License.

2013, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, energy use, Fischli and Weiss, Gustav Metzger, Pedro de Llano, Portscapes, Publication, Simon Starling, solar energy, The Aarhus Art Building

DVD/Book of 'A Road Not Taken', a film by Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller

Tue, Jun 14 2011

We received the beautiful DVD/Book of 'A Road not Taken', the film by Swiss artists Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller – see trailer here – narrating the story of President Jimmy Carter's solar panels installed on the roof of the the White House in 1979. Latitudes collaborated with the duo during Portscapes, Rotterdam (2009) and most recently in February this year, curated their solo exhibition 'United Alternative Energies' in Arhus, Denmark – see images.

"This symbolic installation was taken down in 1986 during the Reagan presidency. In 1991, Unity College, an environmentally-minded centre of learning in Maine acquired the panels and later installed them on their cafeteria roof. In 'A Road not Taken', the artists travel back in time and, following the route the solar panels took, interview those involved in the decisions regarding these panels as well as those involved in the oil crisis of the time. They also look closely at the way this initial installation presaged our own era." (from the website http://www.roadnottaken.info)

The documentary just won the Golden Sun Award Best Documentary at The International Environmental Film Festival (FICMA), Barcelona. Congratulations Roman and Christina!

The DVD/Book is now available worldwide through their web and other bookstores. Some data:

UPC: 6 34479 99963 5
ISBN: 978-3-033-02868-5
Genre: Documentary
DVD Region Code: No Zone
Running Time: 66 min.
Rating: no rating
Package Type: Hardcover book in slim DVD case size (192 x 135 x 10 mm, 7.4 x 5.3 x 0.4 “), cellophane wrapped
Pages: 64
Number of discs: 1 DVD-5
Directors: Christina Hemauer | Roman Keller
Original Language: English
Closed Captioned: yes
Subtitles: German, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese and English
Aspect Ratio: 16:9
Audio Format: Dolby stereo
Bonus: 24 min.

All photos of the pages: Latitudes | www.lttds.org

2011, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, DVD, Portscapes, Publication, solar energy, The Aarhus Art Building

'Spaghetti Junctions', exhibition of Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller at Cubitt Gallery, London

Mon, Apr 11 2011

A Road Not Taken (2010), film still, Courtesy: Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller.

'Spaghetti Junctions'
Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller
Cubitt Gallery, 16 April–29 May 2011
Opening: Friday 15 April, 6.30–8.30pm
7.30pm: Performance of an American president’s dedication to the White House solar installation
Saturday 16 April, 2.30pm: A Road Not Taken (2010), film screening and Q&A with the artists

Cubitt Gallery presents the first UK solo exhibition by Swiss artists Christina Hemaue r and Roman Keller. Through performance, video, sculptural-recreation, text and archive material, Hemauer and Keller explore two short-lived experiments with solar energy, both marking points of change or crisis in the history of oil consumption.

Latitudes recently collaborated with Hemauer and Keller for Portscapes (2009–10) (see making of video) and the solo show United Alternative Energies, at the Centre for Contemporary Art, Aarhus, Denmark (22 January–3 April 2011).

The exhibition will present Sun of 1913 (2009), which looks back to the first commercial-scale solar power plant, which American engineer Frank Shuman built in Maadi near Cairo in 1913. However, the plant ceased operation after one year, at the onset of World War I, as the British Government began mass-scale crude oil production in Iran, precipitating a widespread turn to oil. A video projection shows the reconstruction of two segments of the plant by the artists and craftsmen in Cairo.

A Curiosity, a Museum Piece and an Example of a Road not Taken (2006-2007) investigates former American president Jimmy Carter’s pioneering but ultimately futile energy programme. It culminated in his symbolic solar installation on the White House roof during the 1979 energy crisis, which was removed by the Ronald Regan administration.

Using re-creation and re-enactment to revitalise the optimism of these pioneering projects, Hemauer and Keller also highlight the time that has since lapsed; that these were “roads not taken”. They revisit episodes in the history of oil and solar energy to ask questions about the present energy situation: increased dependence on, and continued conflict over, fossil fuels.

Christina Hemauer (born 1973 Zurich, Switzerland) and Roman Keller (born 1969 Liestal, Switzerland) live in Zurich, Switzerland. Recent exhibitions include United Alternative Energies, Centre for Contemporary Art, Aarhus, Denmark, curated by Latitudes (2011) and the 11th Cairo International Biennale, Cairo (2009).

Exhibition curated by Fiona Parry.

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Saturday 16 April 2.30 pm
A Road Not Taken (2010), 66 mins
Film screening and Q&A with the artists
This will be the UK premier of Hemauer and Keller’s documentary road trip film A Road Not Taken (2010). The film is structured around the conceptual act of finding and donating two of Carter’s solar panels to American history museums as the “museum pieces” he warned they might become. Through interviews (including with Carter) and archive footage the film investigates Carter’s energy programme in the context of his foreign policy on Iran during the 1979 oil crisis.

CUBITT - Gallery and Studios
8 Angel Mews
London N1 9HH, UK
Open: Wednesday-Sunday 12-6pm
http://cubittartists.org.uk

2011, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, Cubitt Gallery, Ecology, latitudes, London, solar energy

Installation views of 'Christina Hemauer | Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies', Århus Art Building, Århus, Denmark, until 3 April 2011

Sun, Jan 23 2011

Above and below: Installation view. Photo: Jens Møller Sørensen. Courtesy the artists.

—> Slideshow of the publication.
—> Slideshow of the exhibition.

The exhibition 'Christina Hemauer | Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies', is the most comprehensive exhibition of the Swiss duo's work to date, presenting ten works of which four are new productions.

Hemauer | Keller has investigated the concept of energy for several years. One of their main areas of interest is the history of oil and its competing alternatives, notably solar energy. Often involving historical research, remembrance, performance and film, their projects focus in particular on the politics of oil, energy crises, and the pursuit of new technology. (+ info...)

A 36 full-colour page booklet can be purchased from the Århus Art Building for 35 DKK (aprox. €4,70). Exhibition remains on view until 3 April 2011.

Photos and texts accompanying images: Latitudes | www.lttds.org

2011, artist monograph, catalogue, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, Denmark, Ecology, energy use, Latitudes-curated, Publication, solar energy, The Aarhus Art Building

Friday 21 January opening: 'Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies', Aarhus Art Building, Århus, Denmark

Wed, Jan 19 2011

The exhibition 'Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies' will open on Friday 21 January from 5pm and remain on view until 3 April 2011.

Opening programme:
17.45h Performance 'Postpetrolism was heralded here on 21 January 2011' (2006–ongoing)
18.30h Performance 'Postpetrolistic Internationale' (2009–ongoing)
Saturday 22 January, 11am: Panel discussion with Hemauer | Keller and the other exhibiting artist Søren Dahlgaard.

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The exhibition ‘Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies’ is the most expansive presentation of the work of the Swiss duo to date, featuring ten works, four of which are new productions.

Hemauer | Keller investigate energy – as an allegorical concept, an invisible force, and a defining theme of geopolitics and modernity. One of the main focuses of their practice is the history of oil and the fate and future of its competing alternatives, notably solar power.

Hemauer | Keller make use of a range of strategies – re-enactment and performance, as well as documentary video, sculpture and text. Their work often provides an opportunity to revitalize key historical moments. For example, the 66 minute documentary essay ‘A Road Not Taken’ (2010) examines former US President Jimmy Carter’s early and ultimately futile efforts to raise awareness about oil dependency, as symbolized by the installation, in 1979, of solar panels on the roof of the West Wing of the White House.

Also featured in this exhibition is No.1 Sun Engine (2008–9). In 1913, American inventor Frank Shuman inaugurated the first large-scale solar power generator near Cairo, Egypt. Although it was economically viable compared to coal power, the plant was only used for one year. In 2008 the artists reconstructed two segments of this pioneering facility and established an information kiosk where local residents and passers-by could discover and contribute to its story.

Globalising the Internationale (2006–ongoing) is a choral work which refers to the songs of socialism and the workers' movements – one of the most widespread social upheavals of the late 19th and early 20th Centuries. With this project, the artists aim to use the collective force of the human voice to herald a new age of alternative energy beyond fossil fuels. (+ info...)

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ABOUT THE ARTISTS

Christina Hemauer (1973) and Roman Keller (1969) live and work in Zürich, Switzerland. Recent exhibitions and projects include: Globalising the Internationale, for Portscapes (2009) and Portscapes exhibition, at the Museum Boijmans van Beuningen, Rotterdam (2010); 11th Cairo International Biennale, El Cairo (2008–9), Nettoyage énergétique, Center Contemporary Art Fribourg (2007), A Manifestation, a Dedication and a Place to get the Word out, Swiss Art Awards, Basilea (2007); At this place, Postpetrolism was heralded on 27 April 2006, Kunsthof, Zurich (2006).

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION

The exhibition is one of the 5 proposals selected from over 600, received via Aarhus Art Building's open submission call, and launches the 2011 season 'IMAGINE – towards an eco-aesthetic'.

A 36-page full colour publication in English and Danish will be printed on the occasion of the exhibition. It includes an introductory essay by the curators on the artists' practice as well as short texts about each of the works included in the exhibition.

‘Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller: United Alternative Energies’ has been possible thanks to the generous support of The Danish Arts Council Committee for International Visual Art; Pro Helvetia and the Stanley Thomas Johnson Foundation.

PRESS IMAGES
Please contact Pernille Lyngsø, pl@aarhuskb.dk or phone +45 86 20 60 53.
Press photos can be downloaded at www.aarhuskunstbygning.dk

The Aarhus Art Building

J.M. Mørks Gade 13

DK - 8000 Århus C

DINAMARCA | MAPA

catalogue, Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, Ecology, energy use, latitudes, solar energy, The Aarhus Art Building

SAVE THE DATE: 'United Alternative Energies: Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller', Aarhus Art Building, Denmark. Opening: 21 January, 5pm

Thu, Dec 16 2010

Slides showing the installation of the solar panels on the roof of the White House in 1979
by US former president Jimmie Carter, subject of Hemauer/Keller film 'A Road Not Taken' (2010). Courtesy: the artists

'United Alternative Energies: Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller'
Curated by Latitudes
22 January 22 - 3 April 2011
Opening: 21 January 2011, 5pm

'United Alternative Energies: Christina Hemauer & Roman Keller' is one of 5 exhibition proposals selected from approximately 600 submissions received in response to the Aarhus Art Building's open call for their 2011 programme, entitled 'Imagine: Towards an Eco-Aesthetic'.

Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller have investigated the concept of energy for several years. One of their main areas of interest is the history of oil and its competing alternatives, notably solar energy. Often involving historical research, remembrance, performance and film, their projects focus in particular on the politics of oil, energy crises, and the pursuit of new technology.

The exhibition will be the most comprehensive presentation of the duo's work to date. A small catalogue will be published coinciding with the opening of the exhibition (+ info...)

Poster of the film 'A Road Not Taken' (2010). Courtesy: the artists

The Aarhus Art Building
J.M. Moerks Gade 13
DK-8000 Aarhus C
DENMARK

Christina Hemauer and Roman Keller, Denmark, energy use, oil, solar energy, The Aarhus Art Building, Zurich

LONGITUDES