rendering courtesy CasaMagica
Depicted in this image:
Arrow, knight helmet, uniform buttons and dress trimming, chipboard wall with leftovers of paint coating and graffiti, lattice structure of avatar
An installation by Casa Magica will kick off the opening of Lights On Tampa’s on January 10, 2009 at the south-end of the Ft. Brooke Parking Garage. The complete south façade of Fort Brooke Garage will be temporarily illuminated by means of classical still image large format projection. Six different images will be shown throughout the night.
CASA MAGICA, “Revamp Fort Brooke”
An original work commissioned for Lights On Tampa, a public/private partnership and a program of the City of Tampa, Art Programs Division
Architectural Projection on Fort Brooke Garage, Tampa, FL
6 still images performed in a loop
Projected daily after nightfall from January 10 through February 1, 2009
Fort Brooke Garage is a huge rough concrete building sitting at the edge of downtown Tampa. It’s name recalls the military structure, which in the view of modern western history marked the foundation of Tampa, and was located at this site.
Whether intended or unintended by its architects (McElvy, Jennewein, Stefany & Howard), whether desirable or lamentable from the viewpoint of urban development: its visible features seem a stringent tie-in with the typology of a fort. This includes even its vestigial elements of façade decoration surpassing the pure functional necessities of a parking garage.
The finding of this rudimentary façade decoration may actually be identified as the toehold of our piece. We chose to develop a series of images, that work with the formal strategies of décor, like e.g. pattern and repetition, non-realistic perspective and proportion, fitting into the existing architectural structure.
At first glance these nightdresses of Fort Brooke Garage’s south façade might seem a glamorous embellishment. They mean to do so, thus recalling, that this aesthetics for centuries has been a bellicose magic-cap, and revealing to the more closer view, its un-picturesque aspects.
This deliberately decorative aggregation and processing of finds is basically a piece on contention, on voracity and vulnerability, on achievement as well as loss. The finds themselves identify its specific reference to Tampa, portraying thus its various historic and contemporary areas of life.
There is no mandatory order of the six images. They will be given a factual order for their performance in a loop, which – after set in operation – will not have any noticeable beginning or end of the series. What is kept noticeable is the change of images, which is technically the change of real physical slides.
-- the artists, December 2008
BRIEF BIO : Friedrich Förster was born in Reutlingen and lives in Tübingen/Germany. Forster studied natural sciences and neurobiology at the University of Tübingen and at the Max-Planck-Institute for Biophysical Chemistry in Göttingen. Since the 80s, he has developed specific slide projection and laser technologies for the creative application in artistic intermedia and multimedia projects. He was recipient of Ars Electronica/A-Linz and International Laser Display Association/USA in the 90s. He collaborates with musicians, dancers and visual artists on his diverse art projects and events in Europe, USA and Arabia.
BRIEF BIO: Sabine Weissinger was born in Göppingen and lives in Tübingen / Germany. Weissinger studied art history and science of religion at the Universities of Stuttgart, Florence and Tübingen, accompanied by training in visual arts and work on cultural projects of the SDR-TV (South German Broadcasting) Stuttgart. From 1989-91, she was the curator of art exhibitions and cultural events at the Württembergischer Kunstverein Stuttgart and from 1992-95, she served as the managing director of the cultural centre "Sudhaus" in Tübingen. Since 1995 she has been a journalist for art and architecture (deputy editor-in-chief of the specialist review glasforum) and project partner of Friedrich Förster specially in the design of projects related to architecture.
