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LAb[au] asbl/vzw isa laboratory for art and urbanism working on the crossing point of art and architecture, having its roots in conceptual, concrete, and kinetic art.
lab-au
lab(au) , lab[au] , lab au

art architeture language

laboratory for Art and Urbanism

ART IN PUBLIC SPACE

yes, no: perhaps

Terrasse des Rohan, Strasbourg, France

2021

LAb[au], Manuel Abendroth, Jérôme Decock, Els Vermang

two walls of 80x280x600cm

36 big and 512 small custom tailored sixteen segments displays, electronics, spy mirrors, glass and Aluminium structure

Out of the random combinations glyphs are generated. Some may correspond to roman letters, some even to words, and once placed in the right order by the aid of Ai, a text out of pure randomness emerges in the public realm questioning sense and non-sense within the Res Publica.

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

LAb[au], yes no : perhaps

credits

special thanks to:
Hager Fondation, commission
Thierry Danet, Ososphère, artistic consultancy
Nadia Hoffmann, Hager, project management
Jean Hans Maennel, Industrie Magnifique

Walther Wathieu, technical assistance

yes, no: perhaps public artwork terrasse des Rohans, Strasbourg

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

yes, no: perhaps, making of

history

The artwork has been commissioned by the French Germán company: Hager for the 2021 event: industrie magnifique in Strasbourg, France.
After the event the artwork has been moved to the factory site in Blieskastel, Germany where it is now part of the Hager Fondation, collection.

abstract

Imagine you could know the ”on/off” state of all the switches in the world? Would that mean anything to you, to us, in general? Is it just data or information? The permanent installation has been commissioned by the German-French electric fuse manufacturer Hager. It plays with the probability that any random data, zeroes and ones, ”ons and offs”, constitute tangible, usable, exploitable meaning. The artwork consists of two wall-like elements: the first one is made of 576 displays showing random combinations of their sixteen segments. From time to time, roman letters emerges from these proto-signs, and by chance even words. The second wall displays these words, which are then arranged in a logical order, assisted by an artificial intelligence. The artwork creates an entire text stochastically, propagated in the public realm, as if we could find meanings in the maze of random zeroes and ones.

axonometric view

cross section

16segment display

front view structure

front view glass

axonometric structure

front view displays

text

...

public artworks by the Belgian artstudio LAb[au], laboratory for art and urbanism, atr&language, art&architecture crossing conceptual art, kinetic art, digital art, konkrete

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