001_visual_work_in_progress_text.jpg

work in progress

 

You visit an exhibition, you read about the projects, you learn about the artists. But you see a final version, and you usually have no clue of how it came about: what made the artist think of it or what the artist did to achieve the result. And often the artistic process is as important as the final work.

 

The exhibition shows what is normally hidden: the development of the work, the tries, the research, the ever-changing nature of an artistic process. 9 artists from pool conceived these projects over the past year over workshops, group discussions, exchanges and offer an intimate view into otherwise unseen stages of a work with an on-site presentation and an online platform to host the projects’ progress beyond the show. Different thematic fields and a mixture of media explain what happens behind the scenes of an exhibition and what artists do to realise a project.

Curated by Anna Konstantinova

 

The curator Anna Konstantinova has accompanied the pool through the process of preparing the exhibition. Her focus is on contemporary photography, post-photography, curating digital spaces and transforming art into digital formats. She has supported the post photography project "SITUATIONS" at Fotomuseum Winterthur and is part of the team of Screen Walks, a joint project of The Photographers' Gallery, London and Fotomuseum Winterthur. In 2021 she completed a Postgraduate Program in Curatorial Studies at ZHdK.

  • Florian Spring - The Pack

    For some time now I have been dealing with my family history, which has its roots in Ticino. I am following its myths and researching the geographic reality. Together with an ethnologist and genealogist I am searching for a long forgotten story.

  • Marion Bernet - Unselected

    The pictures we show in an exhibition are only a fragment of the photos we take. There are the blurry ones, the too dark or too bright ones, the ones that were better from a different angle or the ones that are just too ordinary or don’t tell a story. Instead of showing a finished selection in this exhibition, the unselected pictures of my longterm project about binational relationships are on display.
    The visitor becomes the curator by making a selection out of the unselected.

  • Dirk Weiss - Woodcabinet

    The process of finding suitable trees for my project, inevitably lead me into the forest. The installation is trying to transport the atmosphere found in that forest into a room using image, sound and smell.
    The installation is about the experience - forest.

  • Jonathan Liechti - Research «Domestic violence»

    Domestic violence is a theoretical and complex topic. Much sensitivity, respect and restraint are necessary. It is hardly possible to depict this topic with a reportage. This is one reason why domestic violence is rarely addressed visually. Before a picture can be taken, elaborate and comprehensive research is necessary.

  • Misha Bushkov - Preservation of photographic films

    My daily photographic practice is largely based on working with color negatives - a particularly unstable medium. When not stored properly, developed color negatives lose 20-30% of their color intensity within 10 years. My installation at the “work in progress” exhibition plays with my own obsessive (and irrational) desire to preserve my color negatives for as long as humanly possible.

  • Anja Wurm - Can we go back to nature?

    Never since the beginning of human history we’ve had a more comfortable life than now. Despite the many advantages of today‘s society, we are living increasingly unhealthy.
    9% of the Swiss population suffer from depression.
    I want to investigate the history of mankind, why we settled down even though this meant a loss of quality of life and whether we can turn back the wheel of time.

  • Frederik van den Berg - Futureproofing

    In an age of multitasking and hyper-productivity, it’s difficult to find time for new ideas. Once found, they are scrutinized for their effective worth. What is the project about? Who is the audience? Why should they care? ‘Proof of concept’ is complicated in the creative space. This installation shows a stream of work over several weeks, navigating the process of a photographic research project.

  • Pedro Rodrigues - change in alpine landscape

    With climate change, not only are the glaciers melting, but large areas of permafrost are also being thawed. If the temperature rises by more than 1.5 degrees, the permafrost melts and rock is loosened.

    Pedro Rodrigues' work includes the thematic visualization of the landslide in the Upper Valais region.

  • Simon von Gunten - Si gäbä eim doch so viu zrügg

    All things in life really only gain their value from the fact that nothing lasts forever. For me personally, this has become increasingly apparent after the birth of my two children. They inhibited my accustomed way of photographic production, but finally also added their part to my work, expanding my scope and view of the world.

Virtual Exhibition

The Work In Progress 2021 edition is available as a 3D Tour in our virtual archive. The virtual experience provides details about each work in the exhibition, as well as the ability to virtually wander and peruse the exhibition space.

POOL

The pool is a group of young photographers. Their goal is to emphasize the value of photography and to facilitate creative exchange. With workshops and activities, the group supports each other in their artistic endeavors.

If you would like to become part of this collaborative journey, please contact us via email at hello@poolcollective.ch.

Sponsors

 
swisslos – Kultur Kanton Bern