‘MACHINES A PENSER’ AT FONDAZIONE PRADA

By Crash redaction

Creation is often influenced by a certain environment, a landscape or a state of mind. An artist will not create the same way whether he is in a loud and crowded environment or sheltered in a small room. The same goes for philosophers whose written thoughts reflect the mood and place where they were conceived. It is interesting to retrace the path that has led to certain pieces and it is exactly the subject of the ‘Machines à penser’ exhibition presented at the Fondazione Prada in Milano from May 26th to November 25th. An invitation to discover not only the works of renowned philosophers but most of all their enveloppe and background story.

The exhibition, curated by Dieter Roelstraete, centers around three philosophers: Theodor W. Adorno, Martin Heidegger and Ludwig Wittgenstein, who all needed a certain recluse atmosphere to write. While one stayed in a small hut in the Black Forest, the other preferred an isolated mountain cabin in the Norway mountains. To depict these particular atmospheres, reconstructions of their respective huts will be placed in the museum, one of which is an installation by Scottish artist and poet Ian Hamilton Finlay titled Adorno’s Hut. Inside these larger-than-life replicas will be shown artworks and documents regarding the huts’ design. The link is cleverly made between philosophy, art and architecture. Among the artists exposed will be Leonor Antunes, Goshka Macuga, Mark Riley and many more. Find more information on the website.

Mark Riley, Skjolden Diorama (Ludwig Wittgenstein’s Hut), 2016

Mark Riley, Ermenonville Diorama (Jean-Jacques Rousseau’s Cabin of Philosophy), 2017

Written by Alice Butterlin.

Photo:Mark Riley, Todtnauberg Diorama (Martin Heidegger’s Hut), 2016