greenhouse
for
contemporary art
crystal bricks | 15.13. - 26.04.2013
Mariel Poppe
Mariel Poppe is showing a series of architectonic stone bodies in the greenhouse. Built from miniature bricks, they form star-shaped objects, whose arms resemble the different cardinal points like compass needles. In the installation they are cruciform and grow, just like crystals, slowly and uniformly outward from the centre in all directions. Arranging the bricks in tiers produces rhythmic stepped structures and symmetrical spatial arrangements. Like flakes, the modular elements form into a grown architecture that is not finished and complete, but can be thought of as still in development. At the same time, the brick, as the oldest prefabricated building element, leads us into an archaic past of crumbled ruins exhibiting cavernous openings and secret cavities. With crystal bricks, Mariel Poppe shows us possible future architectonic relics of our present civilisation.
Mariel Poppe concerns herself with ornamental order and disorder. She builds symmetrical structures and then inserts more or less subtle disorders. At the moment, her work deals with the theme of borders and border conflicts. The border as a line, fence or wall is thought of as an axis of symmetry. A balance is sought in the interplay of forces. In her work, Mariel Poppe examines the sculptural possibilities of a a very diverse range of different materials and combinations, such as wax and glass, plasteline and porcelain, plasterboard and wood, latex, adhesive tape and bricks. (www.marielpoppe.de)
