21 April, 2010

Otto Karvonen - Birdhouses



As in "Alien Palace", Karvonen takes the tense political climate in the Netherlands, the complex debate with regard to immigration and integration, and the position of the ‘stranger’ as the starting point for a new sculptural project entitled "Alien Palace Birdhouse Collection". The “Collection” consists of six birdhouses that were specially developed for migrating birds in Amsterdam. In general birdhouses have a welcoming character and are made of warm, natural materials, but Karvonen has opted for cement, aluminium and stainless steel. The harsh aesthetics of his designs are derived from various Dutch detention centres for asylumseekers, such as those in Schiphol Oost, Alphen aan den Rijn, Soesterberg, Zaanstad, Zestienhoven and Dordrecht.

From 24 March these birdhouses will be hung from streetlights in the Vondelpark, close to the Filmmuseum (for the exact locations please see the map on this web page), where they will remain on view till the end of July 2010. In September 2010 the birdhouses and photographic documentation of the project will be exhibited in the enclosed garden of de Appel Boys’ school.

full info and images
http://www.deappel.nl/exhibitions/e/693/1/11/

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