FREIZEITGEIST
FREIZEITGEIST / MINK PROJECTS AMSTERDAM
Entitled Freizeitgeist (a German term that loosely translates to mean “the spirit of free time”), Eilers’ new installation is part of an ongoing project called “The Plan”. He takes inspiration from the following themes: recreation, escape from the madding crowd, and holiday homes with picturesque gardens. This multimedia installation takes the form of a “travelling home”, and will prompt spectators to engage on a personal level with questions surrounding the trope of the ultimate utopian getaway. In the same vein as his previous works in “The Plan”, Freizeitgeist is interested in the concept of paradise and its diverse connotations. Why is the idea of paradise so pervasive and prevalent when we envision ourselves taking the ideal holiday? Why do we think of leisure time as enjoying as “slice of heaven”, and how is it that “heaven” is such an elusive but alluring experience for most of us? Travel is, of course, intrinsic to the act of going on a holiday, and Eilers adeptly turns our attention to the liminal character of taking time off our everyday routines to simply unwind. Eilers prods us to contemplate the irony of modern life: we have progressed to a point where revelling in quiet repose has become almost unnatural, and relaxation is frequently demonised as the antithesis of hard work and meritorious labour.
29 November to 10 January, 2014
