INSTALLATION 1:2001 · FIRENZE

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Installation 1:2001 is a circular room of religious, ideological and philosophical books from all over the world.

The books are used as bricks to construct a temporary building, with their covers facing outward. A narrow entrance leads to the interior, where the white pages contrast with the colorful covers visible from the outside.

“10.000 religious, political and philosophical books that would have otherwise been destroyed were collected from universities and libraries around the world.

They were brought to Piazza della Republica in Florence and used as material for the work. Seen from the outside, the different languages, titles and colours form a rich collage. Inside all is just harmonious white paper.

The process and the work itself received a lot of attention. The installation was destroyed in 30 hours by the citizens of the Renaissance town. Although the books were written in languages they could not read, such as Polish or Lithuanian, all the books  were taken home and the installation continues in their bookshelves.”

-Sami Rintala

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Site consulting for large-scale installation

Artist
Nanna Debois Buhl

Location
Arken Museum of Modern Art · Denmark

Year
2017

All images
© 2017 Nanna Debois Buhl

BIRD CAGE · YOKOHAMA TRIENNALE · JAPAN

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Bird Cage is a 5 meter high cocoon-like cone, constructed from hemp rope and steel, installed in the harbor of Yokohama, during the Yokohama Triennale of Art.

Each day of the exhibition, a “bird” made of balsa wood was flown out the top of the structure, rising up to 10 kilometers on a meteorological balloon. When the balloon burst, the bird glided down slowly, its exact landing point dependent upon prevailing winds. Each bird carried five seeds (rice, wheat, soy, oat and bean), along with a message asking whoever found the bird to plant the seeds.

Responsibilities included on-site coordination and production management, as well as as the documentation of the process.

When pressed, from the works of more than 100 artists on show, I singled out Yoko Ono’s “Freight Train” and Casagrande & Rintala’s “Bird Cage,” two large outdoor installations located in bayside parkland behind the Red Brick Warehouse No. 1.
The Japan Times

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Project management and on-site installation
for the architectural group Casagrande & Rintala

Architects
Marco Casagrande
Sami Rintala

Venue
Yokohama Triennale

Location
Yokohama · Japan

Year
2001

From: Toshio Tsurui
Subject: I have received the seeds

Hello… My son is 50 years old. My son is working at the Honmoku Pier in Yokohama. He has received the message on 07/Sep/2001 pm 4:00 @ Honnmoku Pier A5 container-yard. He has received the seeds.

Unfortunately I don’t have a land to seed the seeds in my home.