On Horses
About the horses of Nicola Bizzarri and Jeni
at Salzburg Summer Academy, August 2022
on
|
Jenni
How to become
a) fearless
b) a horse
|
&
| Nicola Bizzarri
Referring to an idea
|
by
Elena Apostolovski
|
| – 2nd floor, room 2
Flaka Haliti: Spatial Negativity and
Hijacks through Hybrid Materiality
| | – 3rd floor, room 4
Rossella Biscotti: Translating
spatial stories
| – Jennifer Higgie’s class:
Writing About Art
|
Nicola Bizzoari, referring to an idea
At the fortress
a fantasy,
In the bottom
horse shit.
Finding herself not fitting into the modus operandi of the art world, Jenni is triggered to baptise herself in the Residence Fountain. Residence Fountain is considered to be the most beautiful fountain in the city of Salzburg and certainly deserves a closer look: four snorting horses seem to spring forth from the spouting rock.*
Jenni steps into the fountain reciting a german translation of the hit I'm A Slave 4 U by Britney Spears. All you people look at me like I'm a little girl / Well did you ever think it'd be okay / For me to step into this world. Jenni’s mission is projected into the symbol of a horse: Jenni is striving to become fearless and to become a horse, surrendering herself as a slave to the art industry.
At the Hohensalzburg Fortress, enthroned high above the rooftops of the Baroque historical district.** (...) 120 m above Salzburg, Jenni is projecting the video of her performance on a horse-shaped object. This autonomous work of art preserves a childish aesthetic, simultaneously inducing affection and repulsion towards a fantasy horse, horse toys, plastic horses, purple horses, fantasy horses. Where does this children’s cult come from? Why is this escapism of equine obsession present among kids? What values are nurtured and implemented in young brains?
Referencing the culture she grew up in and being conscious of the ambiguity of kitsch and clichés, Jenni recontextualises this image to gain power and discover How to become
a) fearless
b) a horse
Where to go from Residenz Platz, the central square in Salzburg? For 80 euros per hour, a Fiaker will take you on a tour through the city titled Horse-Powered Sightseeing. Whose strength is powering this machine and what propels it? What you don't see in the 180° view from the carriage is a bicycle rider following you to collect horse shit that falls out along the way.
Nicola Bizzarri did research starting from an image of a pile of shit appearing as a bug in the staged authenticity of Salzburg.
Nicola met two migrant workers and presented them with a list of questions, translating his curiosity into the Romanian language. Two workers gave him a bucket of horse shit they collected and Nicola made paper sheets out of it. Papers are places that host documents - written, printed, or electronic matter that provides information or evidence or that serves as an official record.
In his installation, a line floats above us declaring an intent: Awakening and preserving the love of local customs. It is the epitome of an association, a constitutional excerpt imagined for regulating workers’ rights and working conditions. On which values, the importance is placed while representing cultural identity? Referring to an idea presents a text that is not caught on paper, paper made of horse shit and designs of crests for a non-existing association.
*
Looking at both artworld and tourism, constructing their spatial narratives and setting the power dynamics among people, what present rituals are worth preserving and for whom? Who is left with the crap of predominant structures?
The contrast between the fantastic idea and material reality of any cultural artefact exists beyond comprehension. Horses are appropriated as symbols of beauty, strength and independence. The animals themselves are working in commercial settings and other events. The same goes for people, there is an idea and there is then actuality.
In the role-playing of performing identity, what is the level of our personal stamina and ability to jump over obstacles, while dealing with the outside world?
*https://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/squares-streets/residenzplatz
**https://www.salzburg.info/en/sights/top10/hohensalzburg-fortress
Nicola Bizzoari, Referring to an idea
Nicola Bizzari, Reffering to an idea
Jeni, How to become a) fearless b) horse
Jeni, How to become a) fearless b) horse
Jeni, drawings
Nicola Bizzari, Referring to an idea, detail: Paper made from horse manure