June 2011 // Flying Saucers Basel

Flying Saucers - in God We Trust

We were invited by the Scope art fair to present the flying saucers in Basel. Thank you Alexis Hubshman for offering us the space for free and letting us do whatever we want.

For the assemblages from the group of works FLYING SAUCERS – IN GOD WE TRUST we collected and arranged used and worn-out daily items over the course of months – even years, in the case of some assemblages. These yellowing items, some of them antique objects are observed by “flying saucers”. We were attracted by the juxtaposition of the outmoded and the high-tech, as well the promise for the future. We found the materials for this in rubbish tips and old attics, while the magnet system for the flying saucers was developed in collaboration with the University of Rotterdam.

For us the technology was never the most important element. We were more interested in the overall picture, the tension between lived history and the future. The strange situation of the rotating saucer hovering above old books causes irritation, with the whole scenario lit by old lamps. The illumination heightens the impression gained when observing the piece. Almost inevitably, the assemblages give rise to questions of both a technical and philosophical nature.