front cover
This rather odd circular accordion that does not open up in the traditional manner (indeed, its questionable if it really fits the definition of an accordion) is the documentation for a 33 feet long and 24" high 360 degree panorama that Bucher installed for her 2011 exhibition at the Kuntsmuseum, Lucerne.
Bucher's free hanging panorama was installed in a round room in the museum and consisted of over 2000 images of war from different periods, and various countries, that Bucher scanned and then re-assembled into this huge panoramic digital collage. I'm assuming you stood in the middle of this work and then scanned the panorama by turning around (see photo of artist with work below). Bucher received the Manor Art Prize Central Switzerland, and an exhibition at the museum was part of the prize, and this was the work she created for this occasion.
As you can see in the 2 images of the book opened up, it's presented in such a way that you cannot open up the accordion so that you can see the whole work. All you can do is open it up on some large table and then walk around it. Which is all kind of odd since with the real thing you stood in the middle and scanned the panorama from that vantage point. With the book as it is you are locked out from coming close to experiencing the work as it was in situ.
Another thing, I'm not sure if my copy has a printing defect but in many areas of the pages there's a sort of white mottled effect throughout the book, and once you notice it, it really takes away from one's experience of the book!
32 single-sided pages, individually 8" x 12", circumference 32 feet.
the book 'opened up'
back cover
Bucher standing in front of her installation at the Museum of Art, LucernePhoto: Maria Schmid
Since the perimeter of the work is 32 feet, you could make a circle (or rectangle) of tables, position yourself in the clearing in the center, open the book and lower it around your body, and put it on the tables around you. Turn around and voilà, there's your accordion, beautifully exposed!
ReplyDeletethe accordion is fixed at both ends to the covers, and as you can see the image is on the outside, if it was on the inside this strategy would work!
DeleteOh, I didn't realize that. But then, isn't it possible to carefully turn the whole book inside out, cover and all? Or, if not, to position it on a collection of tables and walk around it on the outside?
Deleteto turn it inside out could damage the book, but certainly one could open it and walk around it...but this does not replicate how it was shown originally...all sort of weird really!!
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