Photos by Ludger Paffrath courtesy of Verein zur Förderung von Kunst und Kultur am Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz e.V

On display from 17 September until 5 November 2022

With (sunclipse!) and (sunsight!), the Portuguese artist Carlos Noronha Feio alludes to the architect and systems theorist Buckminster Fuller and his conviction that the wrong use of language perpetuates outdated realities. The latter was convinced that we will never be able to rid ourselves of the mistaken belief that we are the centre of the universe as long as we use scientifically outdated words such as sunset and sunrise, for example. Buckminster therefore proposed new terms for sunrise and sunset, namely sunclipse and sunsight. The neologisms point beyond the lingering geocentric bias of pre-Copernican celestial mechanics and specifically describe how we see – or don’t see – the sun depending on the constellation of earth’s movement and our individual geographical position. A simple change of language can therefore change attitudes.

At the same time, the two opposing quotes fit perfectly into the urban planning conditions on site. The north-south orientation of Rosa-Luxemburg-Str. means that the west side only gets sun in the morning and the east side only in the evening. (sunclipse!) and (sunsight!) thus describe concrete phenomena.

The artist’s second work (grow flowers!) in the foyer of the Kunstverein directs our gaze from the sky to the earth by asking us to plant flowers. This is never a bad idea in itself and is currently so popular that civic gardens are springing up all over city centres. This so-called Guerilla Gardening is not least a reaction to less and less green in the city, architectural dreariness, increasing air pollution and the need to experience the city as a social community.

The work was one of the first pieces the artist produced in the text-series. It exists in several language variants, which the artist sees as an integral part of the work. Originally Russian, the expression derives from the ‘poem on flowers’ by Soviet non-conformist poet Genrikh Sapgir. In this poem, Sapgir talks to various professional groups from different parts of life. He addresses them directly, ultimately questioning their work and asking them to grow flowers instead. “Grow Flowers, grow ideas, grow the seedlings of your own making, and cultivate yourself and others.”

A German version will replace the English one in the spring of 2023.