‘Nine to Five’, a procedural exhibition, constitutes an intermediate step in the broader Kolektiv Arhiv project, which this time dives into the alienated but still recognisable visual and spatial manifestation of the material and energy production system. Over the last few months, members of the collective have moved along the edges of Slovenian industrial infrastructure, from energy to logistics hubs to heavy industry. In the field they formed bonds, and were often turned away or politely refused. Occasionally, however, they were also surprisingly warmly received and allowed to go ‘behind the scenes’ of Slovenian industry. Now they will gradually condense their experiences into a narrative. During the week of the exhibition, they will be continuously and tirelessly creating in the exhibition space, from the opening to the closing of the gallery.
The collective’s work is based on the assumption that the future is completely open-ended. Accepting this gives us, as subjects, the strength to take upon ourselves the conditions imposed on us and the possibilities given to us, without knowing whether the aims for which we strive will be achieved or not. In entropic modernity, which is marked by the disintegration of symbolic consistency and, in the spirit of the intensification of the dynamics of postmodernity, is moving ever more rapidly towards the breakdown of shared narratives and the scattering of stable social authorities, the collective are looking for ways to build new narratives from the fragments of a fragmented reality. Promises of a better future have disintegrated. In their place, they are thinking about how to abandon their persistent investment in it. They are led by the conviction that there is a satisfaction to be found, one that the present time already offers, by abandoning this investment. This satisfaction comes not from acquisition but precisely from the loss of the object of desire.
‘Nine to Five’ is an exhibition that will develop in a public space. The material gathered in the gallery over the space of a week will be a never-ending manifestation of the artists’ experience. The project will not come to an end with the end of the exhibition, but will be radically transformed by it. Every evening, one hour before the gallery closes, the day’s work will be rounded off by a series of liminal moments – that is, accompanying performances, lectures, talks and artistic forms that help shape the project’s creation.
Participating students:
UL ALUO: Eva Anzeljc, Rene Ketiš, Ana Rogač, Jernej Strmšek, Tim Topić
UL FF: Lan Rahne
Project Lead: Tim Topić (UL ALUO)
Mentor: Associate Professor Tomo Stanič, PhD (UL ALUO)
MGBS curator: Ema Kobal
Production: University of Ljubljana
Poster production assistance: David Kosi, Admir Ganić (UL ALUO)
Photographic documentation and tours of the plants for the requirements of the project were provided by the following companies/institutions: Reactor Infrastructure Centre (Jožef Stefan Institute), Kolektor Etra, Energetika Ljubljana, Termoelektrarna Šoštanj (Šoštanj thermoelectric plant)
Photographic documentation for the requirements of the project was provided by the following sports clubs/organisations: Jesenice Ice Hockey and Skating Association, Kolektor Idrija Bocce Club, Radenci Volleyball Club
We would like to express our warmest thanks to Ringer for their expert advice and their loan of the exhibition construct.
Industrial Season Ticket
(6–7 pm, free entry)
Thursday 26 March: Audiovisual performance by Dronišnica
Friday 27 March: Adventures of the collective and the PotoKviz quiz on Slovenian industry
Saturday 28 March: Artist talk by Lin Gerkman
Monday 30 March: Freestyle lecture by Associate Professor Tomo Stanič, PhD
Tuesday 31 March: Kino/Večer × Kolektiv Arhiv featuring a double showing of short films about Anhovo: White Cloud (Anja Medved) and White Veil (Žiga Ciber)
Wednesday 1 April: Public recording of the Kritiški pose(la)dek podcast
Thursday 2 April: Gala closing of the exhibition
All events will be in Slovenian language.