Moving Parts

by Katerina Gregos

Jeppe Hein is concerned with the subtle nature of perception. His work is about providing experiences rather than the production of objects or mere optical sensations. Like many artists today he creates situations of a cross-disciplinary nature that challenge the autonomy of art and reference other fields of practice such as architecture and design. Hein makes functional, interactive constructions and situations which take effect in order to transform the space surrounding them, and in which the interaction of the public is most often required. However, what distinguishes him from many other artists of the last decade, who consciously reference modernist architecture and twentieth century design, is that his work is concerned less with formal purpose or appearance, and more oriented towards the viewer, and towards providing a more complex and multi-dimensional experience of art.
All of Hein’s activities are thus conditioned by their relationship to their surroundings, and place the viewer at the forefront of his investigations. In his characteristic ‘Moving Wall’ constructions, Hein disrupts given expectations of a particular space and intervenes in the architecture thus transforming it, changing its spatial configuration, and creating unexpected situations for the audience. ‘Moving Benches’, which requires active participation in order to take effect, completely repositions the viewer by moving him from one side of the room to the other when the bench has been sat upon. In effect, the artist transforms the usual experience that people have when acting out the simple exercise of sitting on a bench.
Hein’s current project ‘Invisible Moving Walls’ requires three white walls to be placed at different places within a space. These walls will move extremely slowly – almost imperceptibly – in their surroundings. The effect will be that of a progressive and constant change of the surrounding architecture. Transformation of the physical surroundings, re-definition of their appearance, function and our relationship to them are hence the key issues behind his practice. The artist is thus concerned with disrupting the viewer’s relationship to space and subverting the expectations one has when one enters a given area or when one makes use of a functional component of the installation.
Although his austere, economical conception of architecture and design relates to Minimalism, Hein’s work is less about objectness or specific physical presence and more about creating a total, immersive environment where functionalism and competent design are combined with interactivity. Unlike many other artists who consciously reference previous forms and styles and have contributed to a kind of modernist nostalgia, Hein creates more neutral, subtle environments and structures. He effectively works in the areas between sculpture, installation, architecture and design to create unpredictable, interchangeable anthropocentric spaces. His spaces are places to be inhabited and experienced; they are platforms of social exchange and observation, zones of communication whose key characteristic is their capacity for interaction and surprise. So, it is the social aspect that lies at the core of his practice since it is primarily around people that he devises his works, works which function effectively in public and private spaces alike. Hein is thus also concerned with eliminating the distance between the artist, his subject and the viewer and tries to establish a more active role for the latter in the effort to reinstate a physical and visceral connection between people where the viewer actually becomes a part of the art. At the same time, one of the key concerns of his practice is the question of the literal activation of the artwork and the move away from the idea of art as a static, inanimate object. Most of Hein’s works thus move, transform and dissemble. They often contain unexpected, idiosyncratic improvisatory elements that challenge the viewer’s expectation and perception. Such elements can be found, for example, in ‘Water Pavilion’, a work in progress, in which the viewer will find himself surrounded and sometimes trapped by curtains of water; these curtains flow on and off to allow entrance or exit, depending on how one navigates the areas of the work. Even when Hein creates functional objects such as his characteristic spiral lamps, there is always a twist which differentiates them from looking and functioning as pure design; in this case the light emitted by the lamps is too strong for use in a domestic space.
In many ways Hein can be said to attempt to reclaim the high ideals of modern art and design which, as John Armleder once lamented, have been lost leaving only décor. This kind of 80s cynicism has been replaced with a very real belief in re-investing in art’s broader social potential. Hein’s engagement with architecture and design – although by no means a new phenomenon – is symptomatic of current tendencies where artists work in various creative disciplines in order to endow their work with a broader spectrum of practical and social applications. Like many other artists, Hein is concerned with an art that has become less fixed and is more fluid in terms of it’s own purpose and appearance. Ultimately, however, his own work is about breaking down barriers between people, objects, and space.