Michel Aubry's Musical Transformation of Rodchenko's Worker Club
At Mamco in Geneva, Michel Aubry has reimagined Alexander Rodchenko's 1925 Constructivist creation, the 'Worker Club,' into an innovative musical installation. This exhibit showcases fifteen furniture pieces and a cinema screen, with dimensions modified using 37 reed lengths inspired by Sardinian launeddas. Aubry has 'musicalized' chairs designed by Gerrit Rietveld and Charles Rennie Mackintosh, making them non-functional by decreasing their seat thickness and armrests. The installation features films where contemporary actors reenact scenes from classic cinema, including Jean Renoir's 'La Grande Illusion.' Aubry employs a pentachord to establish proportions. The Worker Club has been on display at various locations since 2000. Additionally, an exhibition of his previous reed works is currently at the Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg, with a solo exhibition scheduled from March 4 to April 3 at Galerie Decimus Magnus Art in Bordeaux.
Key facts
- Michel Aubry recreated Alexander Rodchenko's 1925 Worker Club as a musical installation at Mamco, Geneva.
- The installation uses 37 reed lengths (3 cm to 153 cm) based on Sardinian launeddas to determine furniture proportions.
- Reeds are attached to furniture, allowing visitors to play them.
- Aubry also 'musicalized' chairs by Rietveld and Mackintosh, reducing thickness to 5 mm, making them non-functional.
- Films with contemporary actors reenacting scenes from Renoir and Prévert are being shot for the Club.
- The Worker Club has been exhibited at CAC de Vassivière (2000), Mamc de Strasbourg (2001), Creux de l'Enfer (2002), FIAC 2002, Maison du Peuple de Vénissieux (2002), and Mamco (2003).
- Aubry's earlier reed works are at Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg.
- A solo exhibition runs March 4–April 3 at Galerie Decimus Magnus Art, Bordeaux.
Entities
Artists
- Michel Aubry
- Alexander Rodchenko
- Gerrit Rietveld
- Charles Rennie Mackintosh
- Joseph Beuys
- Madonna
- Jean Renoir
- Jacques Prévert
- Alfred Jarry
- Mao Zedong
Institutions
- Mamco
- Musée d'Art Moderne de Strasbourg
- Galerie Decimus Magnus Art
- CAC de Vassivière
- Creux de l'Enfer
- Maison du Peuple de Vénissieux
- FIAC
Locations
- Geneva
- Switzerland
- Strasbourg
- France
- Bordeaux
- Vassivière
- Thiers
- Vénissieux
- Paris
- Sardinia
- Italy
- Russia
- USSR
Sources
- artpress —