The String Figure

The String Figure was created in the early phase of the project and turned out to become like a reference for us. We always came back to the ideas we synthesized and depicted in this collage. It consists of 10 layers – all are displayed in the final and 10th layer. The layers are built on top of each other and transform themselves during the process until the final one, which shows the various interests and powers in a peaceful co-existence.

 

 

1. Layer - Nature and Climate

Nature as the base for our (human) existence, which is also endangered as the natural habitat of wildlife is constantly shrinking.

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2. Layer - City and Infrastructure

Cities and infrastructure illustrate where and how we live. The Plano Piloto of Brasília represents the City build for and by humans, but is not properly working and lacks many essential qualifications for a promising future. The U-Bahn map locates our map in Munich. Together with the highway, it also represents infrastructure. Theresienwiese represents a vast space within the city, empty and uncertain of its future uses.

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3. Layer - Human Life

Various types of human beings are shown here: Roberto Burle Marx covered in plant-leaves stands for people aware of nature and willing to protect it, the indigene represents the people not living like “us” and are closer connected to nature but are forced to deal with modern cities and infrastructure without anyone caring about their needs. Warren Buffet stands for reckless money-making, the rocket-man for scientists and the embryo for the future of human life.

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4. Layer - Domesticated Nature

The men made nature work for human life, exploiting without thinking of the future in order to make nature profitable – the forest and fields in the background are getting replaced and harvested by companies like Monsanto. Everywhere, cattle and other domesticated animals are suppressed and habitat of wildlife is shrinking.

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5. Layer - Order of Life and Society

The system of the checks-and-balances tries to provide the humankind with a suitable set of rules for peaceful co-existence between humans. Also moral standards play a crucial role here, as nature has no voice, therefore the court’s judges are represented with endangered animals as exploiting nature becomes more and more a serious backlash.

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6. Layer - Culture (Art, Music, Tradition, History etc.)

Michelangelo’s David represents art and craftmanship, the couple in traditional Bavarian clothing stand for history and tradition. Pagageno from Mozart’s Zauberflöte is a symbol of music, dance, theatre and bringing people together.

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7. Layer - Economy

The background changes for a stock exchange board as economy and its profit-maximizing rules the world. Money is influencing governments and moral standards, infrastructure becomes a synonym for expanding and shipping goods. People are exploited in factories in order to produce products for other people but at the same time local markets are becoming popular again and emerge all over representing a counter-part to the social estrangement taking places in the factories.

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8. Layer - Pollution and Energy Production

Waste, pollution and emissions are everywhere as a consequence of a ruthless economy shown in the background. More and more energy is demanded everywhere but at the same time new technologies get established, whether it be greener energy production or the beginning of a more sustainable building industry, represented by the windmill, respectively by the adobe.

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9. Layer - Technology and Innovation

Places and empty spaces within cities are used in new ways, artificial animals and a full-automated harvester shows what humans are able to create, in a positive but also devastating way. The City/Plano Piloto disappears and fades into an European highspeed train system, connecting everything faster and creating new ways of distribution.

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10. Layer - Data and Progress

The whole world is connected by data flow. Scientists are searching for new places to life in the universe, represented by the satellite, Piccinini’s Skywhale represents new and unborn animals, showing evolution has not come to an end yet. The profit orientated societies of stock-markets and harsh money making are replaced by Mahatma Gandhi - a wiser and calmer mentality, bringing humans, nature and economy together. National ideologies are not of concern anymore and Germania is represented by a woman of black color. The polar bear with more ice has again more natural habitat, representing the positive impact of a reasonable and thoughtful human behavior. At the same time, new threats are emerging at the horizon.

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