breadedEscalope. Daily Routines

About

daily routines

daily routines present a body of work addressing such themes as the perception of time, isolated consciousness, and the illusion of order, all of which depend on "social habitus." The show focuses on the habitual, the normative, the average—things that we don't give attention to, since they are anchored in daily routine. Considered self-evident, these behavioral patterns and internalized values claim the status of unquestioned reality. The objects and installations of breadedEscalope, however, play contentiously with notions of use value and consumption. The works' intense subject-object dialog opens new perspectives and a broader discourse. On the one hand, daily routines represent monotony, everyday life, activities "frozen in time"; on the other, it evokes the comforts of familiarity, competence, security, and tradition. It is in the ambivalence between these two meanings that we can find the ideal balance for a fulfilling life. This exhibition suggests conceptual niches and possibilities "between the lines." The artworks serve as a podium for interaction and exchange with the viewer.

Bar Non-Lieu

In its dimensions, the Bar Non-Lieu is indeed referring to conventional bar furniture. Its central claim to be a non-place, however, is ultimately obtained by the opportunity to enter the furniture and thus be able to experience it as space. This shifted perspective expands the viewer's perception of the piece to an atmospheric bar with room for two people. Thereby, the Bar non-Lieu clearly focuses on interpersonal dialogue and its plain and minimal design offers the perfect setting for an intimate conversation. By closing both doors, you can create a multifunctional space of retreat. From the outside, only the legs of the guests are visible. Gestures and words, however, remain secret. The interior's design enhances the visitors' voices acoustically and you can hear yourself clearly, while exterior noise is shielded from the outside. The central bar-table provides with the ideal distance between the two dialogue partners.

Zen-Rug

In the installation Zen-Rug a merely functional component of a vacuum cleaner is translated into an aspect of a higher ritualistic order. By developing the absurd product of a glass vacuum cleaner nozzle—hand blown by artisans—breadedEscalope invents a new version of the classic device. In a performance, the artists, with the help of their specially designed vacuum cleaner, imprint a design on carpets that resembles a Zen garden. Here the desire for order and symmetry—prevalent in Zen culture—meets individualism, self-discovery. spirituality and artistic development.

Your Clock

Clocks largely determine our daily routine. Contrary to the usual chronometers, however, Your Clock mostly stands still. It doesn't impose a flow of time on the viewer. Instead it shows a single moment on its dial—the moment of a recent interaction with a human. The clockwork was modified in such a way that one has to pull a chain to activate the dial mechanism. The clock then "catches up" on the time that has passed since it was last activated. It thus renders otherwise timeless space both visual and auditory. Household appliances usually save time, but Your Clock instead steals time from its user. It thereby creates an intense relationship, demanding attention! Through restraint of information the user is able to "gain" a certain quality of life. Your Clock is less about the dictatorial nature of time than about "time in between," which opens up another way of measuring duration. It allows users a meta-level, giving them the possibility to decide about the passing of time!

Launched in London in 2007, the Vienna-based art and design collective breadedEscalope — Sascha Mikel, Martin Schnabl and Michael Tatschl — deals with spatial structures and subject-object relations. Analyzing and questioning daily routine are constant factors in the group's practice, and keeping everyday life in check is the point of departure for objects, installations and performances that bridge the applied and visual arts. Works by breadedEscalope are in the collections of MAK, the Hofmobiliendepot (Imperial Furniture Collection) and the Vienna Museum, and they had received the Outstanding Artist Award during their solo show at the Kunsthaus Baselland in 2014. Their last group show in New York ran until mid-January at the Austrian Cultural Forum as part of Vienna Design Week. daily routines is their 1st solo show in the US.