Orchidelirium - Elevated Platform
2022
Sculptural spatial intervention
marble imitation, teak veneer, metal
Commissioned by Estonian Center for Contemporary Arts
Produced by Post Theater Collective and Estonian Center for Contemporary Arts
Entering the space the spectator faces two options, to walk up the Elevated Platform or to remain on the ground floor. The ones on the platform, are rewarded with the power of observation from an elevated zone from which the exhibition can be seen, visitors below can be observed, and some works can be manipulated. This platform is situated just over a meter off the ground so that the other audience members symbolically circulate at the feet of the observers. Standing on the balustrade gives a good view of another artwork consisting of an artificial day cycle and a hanging garden. The group on the platform can also enjoy Emilie Saal’s[1] botanical drawings produced by the printing press installed in front of the structure. From this position, it is possible to see a combination of elements from an advantageous perspective unavailable to the other viewers. A hidden gate at the base of the platforms allows for the switching of positions to compare the two views of the exhibition.
To reach the tip of the platform, the visitor has to walk on a floor of fake marble supported by a ramp made of raw teak. Both products were exploited at the expense of the monumental modification of landscape and destruction of nature in Indonesia. The floor also references the main marble entrance of the Rietveld Pavilion built only 4 years after independence of the colony. The materiality and design of the platform are heavily historical references that emulate the socio-political conditions that enable some to climb above others.
[1] Emilie Saal (1871–1954) was born in Tartu, studied art in Petrograd (St. Petersburg), lived in Java between 1899 and 1920.
Saal’s incomplete biographical references and part of her correspondence are archived at the Estonian Literature Museum.