Sandra Erbacher
My work examines the institutional as an abstract, bureaucratic
entity. The objects incorporated, whether photographic or
sculptural, are typically found within an institutional setting: an
ordinary office plant, cream-colored carpeting, a standard beige
box fan, or an avocado-green telephone. The sole purpose of their
existence is to organize human activity, to maximize efficiency,
and to aid in the imposition of a rule-based hierarchical system
of rational control.
What happens though, if said objects refuse to conform to
their standard mode of operation? Activated through material
interventions, the objects display a rebelliousness that could
potentially pose a threat to the institutional order: a carpet
covering a gallery wall with an anarchy symbol shaved into its
fibers; a large-format photograph of a small box fan filled with
concrete; and an HVAC that emits a muffled version of Roxette’s
“Dangerous.” Instead of promoting an efficient work-flow, the
objects break down and fail to fulfill their purpose. Yet it is exactly
their failure that holds their potential to subvert the structures
they are supposed to perpetuate from within.