Kingdom of Darkness: Geister, Tote, Wiedergänger

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on Karlsplatz (by Brut Künstlerhaus)
Vienna
17 October 2008, 7 to 10pm
18 and 19 October 2008, 4 to 10pm

Swansong. Study for Karlsplatz, the Centre of Attention, 2008

The Centre of Attention's Schwanengesang/Swansong (2004) will be presented on Karlsplatz, Vienna, 17 to 19 October 2008.

Set outdoors on Karlsplatz, Schwanengesang (Swansong) offers the public in Vienna an opportunity to rehearse one's own funeral. First the participant selects a song for the ceremony; they then lay on a plinth, performing death, while the song is webstreamed.

Formally, the work reverses the viewer/public art dynamic. It posits life as art and captures individual portraits, allowing a statement to be generated and examined by the public itself.

Created in 2004, Schwanengesang (Swansong) has been widely exhibited internationally including Mousonturm Frankfurt, Mercer Union Toronto, the Venice Biennale, Schauspielhaus Zürich and Istanbul Modern.

Part of Kingdom of Darkness: Geister, Tote, Wiedergänger at Brut Künstlerhaus, with Aschwanden & Zimmermann & Filip, Bruce LaBruce, the Centre of Attention, Tobias Dörr, Ted Gaier/Peter Ott, Jürgen Hofbauer, Die Rabtaldirndl, Angela & Daniel Richter u.a.

curated by Thomas Frank

With thanks to Pia Wenzel

Contact: the Centre of Attention, 67 Clapton Common, London E5 9AA, UK
Tel: +44 7792 582 386