Der zukunft vergangenheit
Mika Satomi
Ingo Randolf
Christine Pilsl
Stefan Schilcher
2008
“Artefacts from the 21st Century – collected at recently discovered buildings (central europe) It seems as though the discovered buildings were made to hold thousands of people. What is remarkable are the similarities in size and shape of the rectangular area in the center of these constructions. While none of the artifacts indicate a specific activity, it could well be that cult rituals were practiced here. A map from the 21st Century (# 16T2-T5) implies that the area was divided into unequal sectors that were symmetric along two axes. The areas were largely covered in fertile grass and their protein content suggests that they may served as pastures – though missing traces of excrement dispute this theory. The exhibited artifacts are a first attempt at understanding the meaning of these buildings.”
(text that was presented as an introduction from future archeologists)
The installation is based on a hypothetical story.
A group of archeologists in the future discover a series of football stadiums from the 21st century. The stadiums are perfectly preserved with full remaining of objects from the football-matches of that time. Assuming that these archeologists have no idea or information about what football is/was and football matches are like, a hypothetical archive of football, made by those archeologists, is created.
Over the centuries the meaning of football will be gone. They may interpret football as rituals of cultic religion, or a form of regional festivals performed in ancient times, the 21st century. These incorrect interpretations, questions the possible way of understanding what we believe reality is, and may introduce another perspective to something we take as granted.
We create this fictional archive by collecting objects at stadiums after football matches. These objects are then preserved in glass bottles like the archives in natural-history- museums. All the objects are categorized, described and interpreted, imagining how these archeologists would have done. Introduction of these hypothetical archeologists dramatizes the situation to reconstruct the football match by only using remaining objects. This is the attempt to taxonomically examine this popular event of our time.
“Der zukunft vergangenheit (Future’s Past)” was exhibited at Lentos museum Linz Austria, from June 13th 2008 to August 17th, as part of LEBEN IM STRAFRAUM exhibition.
