Conversation Bubble

source: rewana

At any given moment of time five people are needed to inflate the structure. While the bodies of participants are squeezed and immobilized between two layers of clear vinyl, their heads can move and talk inside the inflated bubble. The duration of the piece depends on the five people’s agreement to end it, as no one can leave on his/her own accord.
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source: escalesimprobables
Within the public and private discourse on communication the Conversation Bubble piece points out to different, sometimes absurd ideas of “agreement” and how our desires for “sameness” can create intolerance in acceptance of differences, whether it is on personal, family (group) or socially political levels. My piece refers to this conflict, which is part of human nature. Originally performed at the OMI International Artists Residency in New York State in 2006, and then in Norway in 2008, Conversation Bubble involves an inflatable structure for five people. At any given moment in time, five participants are breathing the same air while sharing a common space of the inflatable bubble. As their heads are free to move, the rest of their bodies are squeezed between two layers of vinyl. No one is able to leave on his/her own accord and the duration of the performance depends on the five people’s agreement to end it.
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source: rewana

“When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I only think about how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong.”

Buckminster Fuller

For twelve years I have worked with inflatable objects exploring relations between portable architecture, the body and the environment. In contrast to the stable mass of monumental sculpture and architecture, my structures are air-filled, mobile and concerned with places and people that activate them. Incorporating various materials and biodegradable polymers, I harness technology to build public yet intimate experiences, fashioning them on function. A belief in new technologies as an opportunity for social transformation that inspired architectural groups from the 1960’s motivates me. These architectural groups addressed the question of global vision and the relation between environment and technology, issues that remain central to current discussion about climate change.

My artwork is inspired by Buckminster Fuller’s concept of Synergetics, which is a system of thinking that encompasses a multi-faceted approach towards life and design, seen not as a fragmented concept applied to various professional practices but as a creative process that lies at the heart of any human activity. Deeply concerned with the integrity of processes and ideas, I make objects that set a platform for social exchange, reflecting on growing environmental complexities in an increasingly intense globalization.

I am particularly drawn to Buckminster Fuller’s preoccupation with lightness and the weight of materials as a means to counteract excessive materialism and waste. The durability of inflatable materials still eludes us, yet their potential for both usefulness and playfulness is paramount. As an artist, I am interested in investigating the material potential of inflatables (durability, lightness, portability, thermal and structural properties, fabrication processes, material “memory,” biodegradability, etc.) but also the cultural and aesthetic implications of “lightness” (the possibility for humour, the likeness of inflatables to “toys,” their relationship to fashion and haute couture, “pop” culture, survivalism, colour, textures, prints and patterns, etc.). The interface of pneumatic structures with other systems, such as electronic, communication, and solar devices, also concerns me.

I see my artwork as a process of realizing intentions, in which “a failure” is just another departure point into new ideas. In this sense I see my process of art making similar to the process of doing scientific experiments – they do not always have to be ‘successful’. My objective is to induce different understanding through the creation of various platforms of interaction. It is the intention to fabricate meaningful habitation that is the driving force behind my works. I am aware that my artworks cannot provide all the answers to such complexities as living in the face of dwindling resources, environmental catastrophe, and social displacement but I believe in the power of imagination and an anti-entropic role of art. I am equally inspired by the visionary works of Renaissance artists such as Leonardo da Vinci, as well as modern inventors like Buckminster Fuller, who fused an imaginative sensibility with technical invention. I see my art practice as a bridge-building process between these two realms.
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source: studioxxorg

Ana Rewakowicz is a multidisciplinary artist born in Poland, currently living in Montréal, Canada. She works with inflatables and explores relations between temporal, portable architecture, the body and the environment. In contrast to the stable mass of monumental sculpture and architecture, her costumes and structures are air-filled, mobile, and concerned with the places and people that activate them. Incorporating new materials and technology, she builds devices that create intimate, yet paradoxically public, experiences and fashions them based on function and travel for the contemporary nomad and the displaced. Her art crosses into many disciplines including invention, design, architecture and performance has been shown nationally and internationally. Her recent exhibitions include: Expression, Ste-Hyacinthe (2011), Joyce Yahouda Gallery (2011), CSW Laznia, Gdansk, Poland (2010); Pori Art Museum, Finland (2010); La Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, France (2009); FREEZE, Anchorage, Alaska, US (2009); EMPAC Rensselaer, Troy, NY, USA; Liverpool Biennial, UK (2008); Stiftensen 3,14, Bergen, Norway (2008); Manif d’art 4 Biennal, Québec, Canada (2008); WÃinà Aaltosen Museo, Turku, Finland (2007); Kunstverein Wolfsburg, Germany (2006); Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2005) and ISEA 2004 Tallinn, Estonia.
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source: istitutopolaccoit

Ana Rewakowicz è un’artista interdisciplinare, nata in Polonia, che vive e lavora a Montreal, Canada. Ha il titolo di Bachelor of Fine Arts dell’Ontario College of Art and Design di Toronto e il Master of Fine Arts della Concordia University di Montreal. Si occupa di oggetti gonfiabili e studia le relazioni tra l’architettura temporanea, portatile, il corpo e l’ambiente. In contrasto con la massa stabile delle sculture e degli edifici, i suoi costumi e le sue strutture sono riempiti d’aria, sono mobili e connessi ai luoghi e alle persone che li animano. Mettendo insieme nuovi materiali e tecnologie, Ana costruisce dispositivi che creano un’esperienza intima e allo stesso tempo, paradossalmente, pubblica. I suoi lavori utilizzano varie discipline che includono il design, l’architettura e la performace, e sono stati presentati sia in patria che all’estero. Tra le sue recenti mostre vi sono: Stiftelsen 3,14, Bergen, Norway (2013), Anchorage Museum, Alaska, US (2012), Accademia di Romania, Roma, Italia (2012), Joyce Yahouda Gallery, Montréal, Canada (2011), CSW Łaznia, Gdańsk, Polonia (2010); Pori Art Museum, Finlandia (2010); La Maison Europénne de la Photographie, Parigi, Francia (2009); FREEZE, Anchorage, Alaska, US (2009); EMPAC Rensselaer, Troy, NY, USA (2009); Liverpool Biennial, UK (2008); Festival ACT, Oslo, Norvegia (2008); Manif d’art 4 Biennal, Québec, Canada (2008); Wäinö Aaltosen Museo, Turku, Finlandia (2007); Kunstverein Wolfsburg, Germania (2006); Musée d’art contemporain de Montréal (2005) e ISEA 2004 Tallinn, Estonia.