Artwork for the counter area | 15 April 2020
When the winds of change blow,
some build walls of protection, others build windmills.Chinese wisdom
The idea arose in the context of the exhibition cycle co | evolution, developed by BURN-IN developed exhibition cycle co | evolution, which explores change, mutual development and the relationship between people, society and the environment.
Against the backdrop of the global pandemic, this exploration took on particular relevance in 2020. Change, transformation and the ability to adopt new perspectives became central themes of this artistic concept.
On the Flow of Persephone
Isabelle Habegger’s work “On the Flow of Persephone” draws on the ancient myth of Persephone, daughter of Zeus and Demeter. Following her abduction by Hades into the underworld, Demeter’s grief causes the earth to lose its fertility. Persephone’s subsequent cyclical return becomes a symbol of the seasons – and of the eternal cycle of change, loss and renewal.
Habegger translates this symbolism into an almost abstract visual world. Green stands for nature, fertility, growth and renewal. Seven pink butterflies provide a vibrant counterpoint and become symbols of lightness, freedom and transformation.
From a bird’s-eye view, landscape structures unfold through colour and pigments. This elevated perspective allows a view of the bigger picture, whilst the butterflies move through this universe with lightness and dynamism.
Metamorphosis thus becomes the central theme of the work – as an ongoing process of change and development.
Sound of Nature
For the reception area of the Swiss Embassy, BURN-IN conceived a fusion of ‘The Flow of Persephone’ with Isabelle Habegger’s installation ‘Sound of Nature’.
The installation, comprising 184 Plexiglas rods, extends the two-dimensional work into the space. Through the interplay of painting and installation, a dialogue emerges between surface and space, stillness and movement, nature and transformation.
The artistic intervention was also conceived as a form of identity-building communication: art as a source of inspiration for staff and visitors, and as a visible symbol of change and sustainable thinking.
Works
- From the Flow of Persephone
Fluorescent paint and pigments on canvas · 100 × 100 cm · 2020 - Sound of Nature
Installation comprising 184 Plexiglas rods · 200 × 100 × 100 cm · variable · 2018
Concept & Text
Sonja Dolzer · Founder of BURN-IN Gallery, Vienna
Author of the academic paper “Return on Culture – Mechanisms of Art Sponsorship’s Impact on Brand Value and Corporate Identity”
