Der Lauf der Dinge

The Way Things Go

Peter Fischli, David Weiss

Inside a warehouse, a precarious 70-100 feet long structure has been constructed using various items. When this is set in motion, a chain reaction ensues. Fire, water, law of gravity as well as chemistry determine the life-cycle of objects - of things. It brings about a story concerning cause and effect, mechanism and art, improbability and precision.

"Their masterpiece to date... Using elemental means - fire and fireworks, blasts of air, gravity, and a variety of corrosive liquids - the artists manage to sustain a chain reaction of evermore absurd materials and events for 30 minutes."
New York Times

"‘An unambiguously CORRECT result of experiments exists; this is obtained when it works, when this construction collapses. Then again, there is a BEAUTIFUL which ranks above the CORRECT; this is obtained when it's a close shave or the construction collapses the way we want it to – slowly and intricately, that is, a beautiful collapse. The aesthetic layer on top of a function is like the butter on a sandwich – rather thin and smooth. The wrong result is obtained when things get going of their own accord, and the wrong result is obtained when they don't get going at all. The CORRECT range (which in terms of moral theology might also be called GOOD) is, in our view, incredibly narrow. Similarly, GOOD and EVIL are often very close, for example when the candle on the swing sets fire to the detonating fuse. Because they are nice and childish, the candle and the swing tend towards the good, whereas the detonating fuse is evil because you don't need it for harmless things. On the other hand, every object in our installation is good if it functions, because it then liberates its successor, gives it the chance of development. Not destructive in that sense."
Fischli/Weiss

Peter Fischli

1952 born in Zurich. 1975/76 Academia di Belle Arti, Urbino 1976/77 Academia di Belle Arti, Bologna. 1978 Group Exhibition at the Academia, Bologna. 1979 Beginning of the collaboration with David Weiss. Lives and works in Zurich.

1993 KANALVIDEO
1987 DER LAUF DER DINGE
1983 DER RECHTE WEG
1981 DER GERINGSTE WIDERSTAND

David Weiss

1946 born in Zurich. 1963-64 Vorkurs, Kunstgewerbeschule, Zurich. 1964-65 Kunstgewerbeschule, Basel (sculpture class). Worked as sculptor by Alfred Gruder (Basel) and Jaqueline Stieger (England).1970 Edition Toni Gerber, «Scetches», Berne, (mit Urs Lüthi, Text: J.-Chr. Ammann). 1974 Edition Stähli, «Drei Geschichten», Zürich. 1975 Edition Stähli, «Up und Down Town», Zürich Galerie Stähli, «The Desert is Across the Street» Zürich de Appel, Amsterdam (with Urs Lüthi und Elke Kilga).1976 Galerie Stähli, Zürich. 1979 Galerie Gugu Ernesto, Köln. Galerie t'Venster, Rotterdam. 1979 Beginning of the collaboration with Peter Fischli. Lives and works in Zurich.

1993 KANALVIDEO
1987 DER LAUF DER DINGE
1983 DER RECHTE WEG
1981 DER GERINGSTE WIDERSTAND

EAN 7640139360069
ISAN 0000-0000-D324-0000-5-0000-0000-M
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Der Lauf der Dinge