GEORG BURWICK - vase 3

vase 3, 2005

"vase 3" documents the life cycle of a floral arrangement positioned on a mattress pad, unfolding over a span of two weeks. The mattress serves as a symbolic backdrop, alluding to the bed from which the flowers ventured into a newfound portability within the confines of the vase. In this domestic setting, their beauty becomes a source of enjoyment while bearing witness to the ephemeral nature of their existence.

The latter part of the video captures the flowers' demise, their vessel subjected to violent blows that until this point has nurtured them outside their original habitat. This juxtaposition of the artificial and the natural serves as a poignant reflection on the delicate interplay between human life and the environment, a relationship we consistently reinterpret within the realms of our domestic spaces. The fragility of this connection is echoed in the deliberate act of re-contextualization, where the flowers' journey from natural origin to domestic setting hints at the complex and often precarious relationship we maintain with the world around us.

vase - study 3, video Still. Georg Burwck 2005

vase - study 3, Installation at Brandstater Gallery. Georg Burwck 2005

This installation was featured in CHEAP NEW WORLDS at the Brandstater Gallery and comprises three rooms, each reimagining domestic interiors and delving into the intricate relationships we form with the "objects" that populate our world. These relationships, in turn, shape the landscapes within which these objects are placed. The term "object" extends beyond mere tangible entities, encompassing various forms, including people or things towards which actions or feelings are directed.

In each of the three rooms, a distinct life experience is framed, aiming to recreate, for the physical senses, phenomenological impressions. Leveraging virtual space and capitalizing on the viewer's pursuit of what I refer to as the "super-real," these installations explore our collective fascination with mimicking reality. This preoccupation has spurred a quest for a version of the "real" that surpasses the authenticity of reality itself.

The cultural obsession with representation manifests as a yearning for a virtual reality driven by our desire for this elusive "super-reality," allowing us to transcend the constraints of what is actually real. The pursuit of this heightened reality unfolds both within the recesses of the mind and in physical space, signifying an escape into realms that exist beyond the boundaries of our immediate reality.