Clemens von Wedemeyer / eeefff

Open Objects

2021,
VR installation

The School of Algorithmic Solidarity In collaboration with eeefff (Dzina Zhuk and Nicolay Spesivtsev) Session within the space of Open Objects Open Objects offers virtual entry to a museum in Minsk, Belarus: the former studio of sculptor Zair Azgur contains hundreds of statues from the era of Socialist Realism and beyond. Deploying 3D glasses, visitors can move around the VR space and are confronted with manifestations of Belarus’ complex history under the influence of the Soviet Union. The studio can be seen as a giant time capsule with remnants of political figures from the communist canon – representing Marx, Lenin, and Stalin – but also some unexpected faces and significant statues from other periods in Belarusian history. In its digital form, the archive invites re-negotiation of its narratives, uncovering buried histories and subjectivity to repair the trauma it evokes. The public program, a collaboration between Clemens von Wedemeyer and eeefff, includes The School of Algorithmic Solidarity by eeefff, to address dispersed co-acting and institutioning. Participants explore socio-political narratives linked to the Azgur Museum, bridging digital platforms and the VR space in Vienna. The school investigates infrastructural time, algorithmic abstractions, and bodies, offering a collective experience and open-ended training zone. Open Objects was originally initiated by Timur Veles and conceived with the support of Samuel Richter. VR Space by CyberRäuber.