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Component 1936

ERNST (Neufert) II

(2019)
180 x 80 x 220cm
mdf board, fabric, glue, paint
 part of a series of components produced for the exhibition Good Conditions
shown at DWM Gallery




Dear Ernst, departing from a set of normative rules I constructed something that is not so obviously evaluated, measured, quantified nor categorized. Some have argued that the structure turned a set of ‘recommended heights’ into an ironic illustration of industry standards and an impossible piece of furniture. I hope you are not taking any offence.

The incorporated recommended heights are 40 cm for a bench; 75 cm for a desk; 85 cm for an exhibition table; 110 cm for a desk counter; and 202 cm for the height of Ikea’s most sold bookcase ‘Billy’.

The world of architecture and furniture has been fascinated with normative rules for design and ergonomics since you first published your notorious reference book Architects’ Data in 1936. We all love them! Reference books for spatial requirements perfectly suit our world, with its focus on efficiency and its obsession to make mankind ‘work’ best and perform at all times. The books perfectly support our fetishization of work, and our life between a maximum and a minimum.




This component forms part of Good Conditions

In Good Conditions, Kris Van Dessel and Tom Van Malderen build upon their previous collaboration Conditions and Opportunities at DMW Art Space in 2017. Together with curator Tram Scawped, the artists continue their quest into the protocols of exhibiting and the mechanism of the contemporary art economy in general. Their previous collaboration at DMW investigated the conditions and opportunities of the ‘art space’ by means of a series of minimal in situ interventions, ranging from subtle modifications of lighting and heating elements to enquiries into the appropriate shade of white for the walls of a white cube. Following up on this expo, 'Good Conditions' explores the application and potential of autonomous artworks as components of a dense art-fair-look-alike constellation. As part of this enquiry, all prices of the works on display are fixed in accordance with the inscrutable laws of the art economy and arranged in an easy-reference component list with accompanying article numbers.
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