Christopher Hauck has created an impressive video installation, taking up the entire room on the second floor, of images of the Berlin Wall. He is attempting to communicate to viewers some of the concepts and experiences surrounding the "what was once a divisive barrier and icon of disruption, the Berlin Wall." (Idea Fest site).
The exhibit includes floor to ceiling structures of wall studs and thin fabric, graffiti and writable paper walls, and many powerful projectors showing video of the Berlin Wall and first person account of experiences. He put together the whole exhibit in just two days, and has to disassemble it in two hours Saturday night.
The initial concept for the project was to install five partial recreations of the Berlin Wall around Louisville, but Christopher had trouble getting funding and sponsorship for this intriguing concept. Instead, he was able to get assistance from the Idea Festival and some other local organizations and businesses for a scaled down, interior version of his concept. The installation was planned in detail before the Idea Festival, but the pieces really came together while constructing in the space.
The result is an intentionally cacophonous experience, with multiple videos and audio tracks playing and visible through the fabric walls at the same time. The idea is to at first be overwhelmed, and then focus your attention to one person’s story told through video. The thin, translucent walls are a metaphor for how the walls around us can be overcome. And at the end of the maze of walls and videos, comes a writable paper wall where anyone can leave their own comments and experiences.
Christopher Hauck is originally from Louisville, Kentucky, and now lives in Atlanta, Georgia where he runs his Creative Studio there. More information about him can be round at his website, www.christopherhauck.com.
His exhibit, called “[de]construction. Wall Art – Defining a Post Berlin Wall Culture,” is scheduled to move to Fulton, MO, San Francisco, CA, and Atlanta, GA, and details of each location can be seen at www.thewallart.com.
The exhibit was also brought to life with the assistance Louisville native and resident Theresa Carpenter Beams, who heads up Essential Media. Bios of both Theresa and Christopher, and more information about the project, can be found at www.thewallart.com bio page.
If you haven't seen the exhibit yet during the first two days of the Idea Festival, please make it a point to stop by for the final day, Saturday, September 27. It's free, and well worth the experience.
Michael Schnuerle, www.metromapper.org
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