The practice of experimentation gives shape to hypotheses about future life forms. Thus, the “Aeronauts” (2022) glide through the air in the studio and surrounding exhibition spaces. The medusa-like objects are hermaphrodites while the body is formed by sponges found in the depths of the ocean. The movement apparatus consists of tentacle-like flying devices, which are made of bioplastic and filled with helium – the noble gas that allowed man to take fundamental steps in the history of aviation and space travel.

As the initially moist sponges evaporate, they become lighter and lighter over the course of hours, so that the structures take to the air at different times with the moment of balanced lightness. Thus they float along until the vitality of the helium pushes through the material and the buoyancy decreases to such an extent that the Æronauts gradually sink limply to the ground. Thus they go through a repeatable cycle of rising, floating and sinking, reacting to every little breeze.
They are reminiscent of moving underwater landscapes in the gray area between flora and fauna and show themselves as utopian, graceful living actors.

With text fragments by Lydia Korndörfer

Furthermore, an abandoned glass tower rises up on the exhibition grounds, in which numerous stacked Smart cars were once to be seen. Tomas Kleiner uses the building structure and lets his installation “ÆROBODY” (2022), realized especially for the exhibition, indicate the new function of the site as a place of artistic production. A wind machine blows from the ground into the approximately eleven-meter-high parachute made of mint-green bioplastic, which reacts to temperature and humidity. In its glass tower, the “ÆROBODY” prances, arches up and collapses. The fragile appearance of the work is only reinforced by the choice of material, for it is uncertain when the process of decay of the compostable cornstarch film will begin, when it will yield to weather conditions and microorganisms and disintegrate.

The visitors are encouraged to lie on their backs on the beanbags lying on the floor in order to look from below into the breathing, light green shimmering lung, how it dynamically fills up with the noise of the starting wind machine and slowly and softly rustling relaxes again until it starts anew.

With text fragments by Lydia Korndörfer

Hayai Ki is part of the nominees exhibition of the Art Award NRW 2021. It represents a continuation of the moving tree prototypes from the series Jukai-Ryoko, 2020. The installation was transferred to the video medium in the exhibition spaces of the Langenfoundation, Neuss, 2022.

The whole Video of 7 min. length you can see on vimeo