The Art Object, or objet d’art, once the foundation upon which all “art presentation rested, is becoming a relic of the past in some circles. Artists worldwide are reaching beyond the confines of the solid object in art presentation, toward new means of display that are more inclusive, less costly and, occasionally, not immediately present in physical form.
The Cairo Biennale and PhotoCairo 4, arguably the most international visual arts exhibitions on view in Cairo at this time, are hosting several projects that defy convention by replacing painting, sculpture or photo with appropriated objects and ephemeral works.
Appropriated objects refer to artefacts originally produced with intentions outside the realm of “artistic purposes. Ephemeral undertakings have included a temporary publishing house adjacent to the works in PhotoCairo, and the Spanish contribution to the Cairo Biennale, a workshop presented by the media artists and technicians of Hangar, a visual arts production center in Barcelona.
In a lecture at the Rawabet Theater, Ganzeer, member of the Publishing House and project editor, explained that the group sought to work in contrast to the material formality of PhotoCairo, presenting an exhibition of stylish booklets, maps and posters.
The group aimed to document an “alternative history of PhotoCairo through low-budget publications and “resource-light productions.
Inexpensive photocopies, for example, yield large volumes of material while simultaneously providing the freedom to print from any number of various locations in the city. The group, he said, also sought to work in ways that do not require large amounts of time or manpower.
The Publishing House project was originally designed as a space for ideas that might exist outside the sphere or duration of PhotoCairo. Many of the projects cited by members of the Publishing House support or further investigate the concepts of the works already on view.
Sarah Ilfanger, for example, worked with the creations of artist Bernard Guillot. The proposed project entails collaboration between Guillot’s photos, taken in a Cairo hotel, and the room in the Immobiliya Building where the photos are on display. It references a “room within a room idea, said Ilfanger.
Another project of the Publishing House relates to “Nefertiti by artist Alaa Younis, itself an appropriated work. On view at the Hungarian Cultural Institute, “Nefertiti refers to an Egyptian sewing machine of the same name that was popular in the 1950s.
Ganzeer’s idea was to create a publication on iconic Egyptian products, from Korona chocolate to Cleopatra cigarettes, an investigation into the personal relationship between consumers and their products. “What does it mean, asked Ganzeer, “for people to have a relationship to a product, and how does that fit in with ideas of nationalism?
The last of the ideas presented by the Publishing House related to a map of PhotoCairo itself – a map charting the relationships of those involved in PhotoCairo. Within this concept, Ganzeer attempted to create a diagram not only of personal relationships but a visual representation of the social backgrounds of the artists.
In these exhibitions that strongly differ in themes and characters, artist/technicians like those involved in Hangar and The Publishing Houses manage to proceed with a similar “do it yourself logic.
Hangar takes this a few steps further; their contribution to the Cairo Biennale was the final product that came out from a workshop they organized. Their workshop, held upstairs in the Museum of Contemporary Arts at the Opera House in December, was comprised of about 15 Egyptian youth. Of these youth, Rosina Gómez-Baeza director of Laboral, a partner organization of Hangar, said, “These are some very interesting people, hard working, and I am very inspired. Of their own work, Gomez-Baeza said, “Spain has never been a place in the forefront of research. In thinking about our needs, it felt necessary to create a place for the production of new media. We are concerned with artistic and technical research in the field of information technology. Today, we are the only spaces for this type of art.
Diego de Leon, who gave an open lab entitled “Introduction to Electronic Multimedia, said: “I build my own machines from Lego [popular children’s toy] parts. I also make low-tech electronic sounds from video games.
People spend a lot of money on electronics every year and then throw them out. So now most of the things we need to create are available in the garbage. I teach and create all my work from free and recycled materials.
The contributions of Hangar further included workshops on how to use free software available on the internet. “It’s very important to me that people know that there are other things than [Microsoft] Windows. We teach people how to create their own sound tools, and to think against commercial tools, said Yves Degoyon, Hangar technician and facilitator of one such workshop.
“Outreach projects to us mean making people aware of the presence of do-it-yourself technology in a very efficient way. It’s more like an expanded community. It has really meant a lot to the designers to interact with people, said Gómez-Baeza.
“It has been a great experience, said Magdi Mostafa, Cairo artist and workshop participant. “These are things anyone can use. You don’t have to be an artist.
“People showed some interest, Degoyon said of the participants in his workshop. “Now they have to work.
