Author Description

Organized by curator Pierre Bal-Blanc, the experimental architectural program Project Phalanstre consisted of a series of site-specific artworks in the Parisian suburbs. Taking place from 2003 to 2014, these projects developed a creative space extended in time. In contrast with the duration of the work schedule where one task follows another, the simultaneity of lifes forces asserted its rhythm. This book proposes to adopt a new syntax. It does not simply call for a renewal of the terminology used in the field of contemporary art programming. Its syntax has taken shape by progressively building on the complex materiality of artworks in and around a specific place and over an extended time. More than one hundred black and white images of the numerous installations open the volume, followed by the individual artworks sequenced in order of nature and location while being annotated to place each work within a larger cultural context, and ending with a detailed timeline. Contributors include Atelier van Lieshout, Maurizio Cattelan, vIeR5, Lois Weinberger, and many others.