At the invitation of Kunstfabrik 4.0 and the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024, Victoria Coeln is transforming a part of Laakirchen/Steyrermühl with her art project CHROMOTOPIA. The focus is on her exploration of light as a material, object of research, means of expression and design. She has created two of her internationally recognised chromotopes especially for Laakirchen. These are walk-in light spaces based on analogue graphics and painting, which she creates in indoor and outdoor spaces, in famous cathedrals, world heritage sites, landscapes and public places.
CHROMOTOP LAAKIRCHNER TRAUN in the outdoor area on the River Traun is dedicated to water, the most important resource for the history of the city as a centre of paper production. The special exhibition in the museum's gallery spaces presents the photographic oeuvre of the artist, who also transforms a gallery space into an ‘organic’ work of light art: Upon entering the chromotope - whether in the gallery or on the Traun - visitors become light bearers and actors. For a fleeting moment, they create their own individual works of light art. They are very welcome to distribute them in all media. Photography is not only permitted, it is strongly encouraged. The aim of CHROMOTOPIA is to create powerful new memories from the shared language of light, art and participants.
The phenomenon of light
Light is at the centre of the work of light and media artist Victoria Coeln. For her, the medium of light is a material, an object of research, a means of expression and design. The exhibition presents a selection of groups of works that reveal the wide range of Victoria Coeln's exploration of light as a phenomenon and tool of cognition.
‘For me, light is an independent material that can be moulded and shaped independently of anything material. I find my approach to my work in the knowledge that visibility and thus reality are only created through the interaction of light and matter. For my artistic practice, this means that when I intervene in the shape of light, I change what appears and how it appears. I decide on visibility and reality - and change a piece of the world. Can we shape our lives without changing the world?’ Victoria Coeln, light and media artist.
‘Victoria Coeln's Chromotopes create the conditions needed to create art on site and for the site. The focus is also on the changing history, social effects of a changing world of work and perhaps the visionary future view of art, which makes transformation processes visible and tangible. In her art project Chromotopia, Victoria Coeln uses light to draw never-before-seen shapes in landscapes and spaces. She invites us to enter spaces of perception in which light, like music or silence, speaks to us in a universal language.’ Friederike Reiter, curator, Kunstfabrik 4.0 association.
Victoria Coeln achieved international fame with her abstract photographs and chromotopes. Since 1994, she has been transforming outstanding locations around the world into works of light art, including Angela Chromatica in Klagenfurt Cathedral in 2024 as part of the Carinthian Summer from 6 July to 4 August 2024, the Austrian Parliament in 2023/2024, Leipzig's Nikolai Church in 2019, and World Heritage Sites in Turkey and Cyprus such as Ephesus and the Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia in 2015. Since 2019, Victoria Coeln has been designing and realising large-scale light-based projects for public spaces such as WIENER LICHTBLICKE. She lives in Vienna.
OPENING OF THE EXHIBITION CHROMOTOPIA
Sunday 04/08/2024, 18-22 h
6 pm Alfred Hannes Heinzel | owner of the papermaking museum ALFA, Fritz Feichtinger | mayor of Laakirchen, Elisabeth Schweeger | artistic director of the European Capital of Culture Bad Ischl Salzkammergut 2024 will speak
7 pm Guided tour through the exhibition with Heike Sütter | Curator and Victoria Coeln | Artist
8.30 pm CHROMOTOP LAAKIRCHNER TRAUN
Victoria Coeln | visual art, Matthias Leboucher | electronics, Helēna Sorokina | voice
Chromatic polylogue. Analogue sound and light performance and light intervention on the river Traun
CHROMOTOP LAAKIRCHNER TRAUN
Duration of the light intervention on the Traun 04/08-29/09/2024
Opening hours daily from sunset until 10 pm
Location Outdoor area of the papermaking museum on the Traun
Free admission
VICTORIA COELN. CHROMOTOPIA
Duration of the special exhibition 06/08-29/09/2024
Opening hours Tue-Sun 10am-4pm and 05/09 and 12/09/2024 10am-10pm
Location Gallery of the Austrian Papermaking Museum, Museumsplatz 1, 4662 Laakirchen/Steyrermühl
Admission € 10,- Reduction € 6,-
DAY OF INDUSTRIAL CULTURE Thursday 05/09/2024, 4-10 pm
16, 18 and 20 hrs Guided tour through the exhibition VICTORIA COELN. CHROMOTOPIA
5+7 pm Concert Trio Melisandre (Charles Brink | flute, Andrea Hampl | harp, Martina Reiter | viola)
7pm-10pm CHROMOTOP LAAKIRCHNER TRAUN, light intervention on the Traun/Museum Island
Free admission
CHROMOTOP LAAKIRCHNER PARISH CHURCH Saturday 07/09/2024
7 pm Light art and music in dialogue, Victoria Coeln | light art, Mária Magyarová Plšeková | organ
Place Parish Church Laakirchen, Hauptplatz 3, 4663 Laakirchen
Admission free
