Dirt révèle le monde fascinant de la saleté qui reste l'un des dernier tabous.
Cette nouvelle exposition se penche sur quelque chose qui nous entoure mais à laquelle nous sommes souvent réticents à faire face. Dirt se déplace à travers les siècles et les continents pour explorer notre relation ambivalente avec la saleté.
Réunissant près de 200 objets qui couvrent les arts visuels, la photographie documentaire, les éphémères culturels, les objets scientifiques, le cinéma et la littérature.
L'exposition révèle une histoire riche de dégoût et de plaisir dans les vrais sales petits secrets de notre passé, et pointe l'avenir incertain de la saleté, qui présente un risque important pour notre santé, mais qui est également essentielle à notre existence.
Selon l'anthropologue Mary Douglas, la saleté est « hors de propos ».
Dirt est depuis longtemps une puissante marque de déviance, appliquée à des personnes et des groupes sociaux qui osent transgresser les limites de la société.
Le physique devient métaphorique, et est associé aux déchets, aux ordures et aux maladies qui sont liées à la contamination dans un sens plus moral.
Souvent, cette stigmatisation a des conséquences extrêmes pour la santé et le bien-être des soi-disant gens «sales». Mais d'où ce stigmate si puissant vient-il ?
Et qu'est ce que cela fait d'être considéré par le monde comme moralement contaminé ?
L'exposition présente six endroits très différents comme points de départ pour explorer les attitudes envers la saleté et la propreté: une maison du 17ème siècle à Delft en Hollande, une rue du Londres victorien, un hôpital de Glasgow dans les années 1860, un musée à Dresde dans le début du 20e siècle, une communauté d'aujourd'hui a New Delhi et une décharge à New York en 2030.
On retrouve dans cette exposition des peintures de Pieter de Hooch, les premières esquisses de bactéries, le «plan fantôme» du choléra de John Snow, des faïences de belle facture, des accessoires scientifiques de Joseph Lister et un large éventail d'oeuvres d'art contemporain, du tapis de poussière d'Igor Eskinja, le balai à joyaux de Susan Collis et la Fenêtre de sale de James Croak, des pièces vidéo de Bruce Nauman et Ukeles Mierle et une œuvre spécialement commandée à Serena Korda.
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DIRT du 24 Mars au 31 Août 2011
Dirt reveals the fascinating world of filth that remains one of the very last taboos.
Our major new exhibition takes a closer look at something that surrounds us but that we are often reluctant to confront. Dirt travels across centuries and continents to explore our ambivalent relationship with dirt.
Bringing together around 200 artefacts spanning visual art, documentary photography, cultural ephemera, scientific artefacts, film and literature, the exhibition uncovers a rich history of disgust and delight in the grimy truths and dirty secrets of our past, and points to the uncertain future of filth, which poses a significant risk to our health but is also vital to our existence.
Following anthropologist Mary Douglas's observation that dirt is matter out of place.
The exhibition introduces six very different places as a starting point for exploring attitudes towards dirt and cleanliness: a home in 17th-century Delft in Holland, a street in Victorian London, a hospital in Glasgow in the 1860s, a museum in Dresden in the early 20th century, a community in present day New Delhi and a New York landfill site in 2030.
The Home: Delft, 1683
Visitors to the Netherlands during the 17th century frequently expressed surprise at the amount of energy the Dutch devoted to cleaning their homes. Contemporary art shows housewives and their maidservants maintaining a strict regime of sweeping, scouring and polishing interiors that already appear spotless. In 1683, while painters were depicting this fastidious approach to cleanliness, the Delft-born scientist (and draper by trade) Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to see bacteria, using lenses he had ground to examine the quality of cloth.
Visitors to the Netherlands during the 17th century frequently expressed surprise at the amount of energy the Dutch devoted to cleaning their homes. Contemporary art shows housewives and their maidservants maintaining a strict regime of sweeping, scouring and polishing interiors that already appear spotless. In 1683, while painters were depicting this fastidious approach to cleanliness, the Delft-born scientist (and draper by trade) Antonie van Leeuwenhoek became the first person to see bacteria, using lenses he had ground to examine the quality of cloth.
The Street: Soho, 1854
In September 1854, London was hit by a devastating cholera outbreak. Over the course of ten days, 500 people died in the vicinity of Broad Street, Soho, and the neighbourhood was soon deserted by those who were able to leave. The epidemic's intensity drove the officials of St James's parish to order an investigation into the horrifying sickness, which struck so rapidly that victims often died in a matter of hours. In a city notorious for its stinking river, gigantic dust heaps and underclass of scavengers, most Victorians believed that disease was caused by bad air or 'miasma'.
In September 1854, London was hit by a devastating cholera outbreak. Over the course of ten days, 500 people died in the vicinity of Broad Street, Soho, and the neighbourhood was soon deserted by those who were able to leave. The epidemic's intensity drove the officials of St James's parish to order an investigation into the horrifying sickness, which struck so rapidly that victims often died in a matter of hours. In a city notorious for its stinking river, gigantic dust heaps and underclass of scavengers, most Victorians believed that disease was caused by bad air or 'miasma'.
The Hospital: Glasgow, 1867
When Joseph Lister arrived at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1861, he would certainly have noticed the stench. The hospital was a filthy place, and rates of infection were so high that patients presenting with broken limbs or compound fractures had a 90 per cent chance of amputation. Those who underwent procedures successfully were at great risk of dying from postoperative 'ward fever'. Six years later, Lister undertook the first successful operation using carbolic as an antiseptic, an event that would have a revolutionary impact on the future of surgery.
When Joseph Lister arrived at Glasgow Royal Infirmary in 1861, he would certainly have noticed the stench. The hospital was a filthy place, and rates of infection were so high that patients presenting with broken limbs or compound fractures had a 90 per cent chance of amputation. Those who underwent procedures successfully were at great risk of dying from postoperative 'ward fever'. Six years later, Lister undertook the first successful operation using carbolic as an antiseptic, an event that would have a revolutionary impact on the future of surgery.
The Museum: Dresden, 1930
Between May and October 1911, more than five million people flocked to Dresden, Germany, to visit the First International Hygiene Exhibition. Its many pavilions combined new technologies and lifelike displays to educate the public about healthcare and human anatomy. Its success led to the founding of the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, which in 1930 opened its own purpose-built home - an architectural monument to rationality and transparency in modern medical science.
Between May and October 1911, more than five million people flocked to Dresden, Germany, to visit the First International Hygiene Exhibition. Its many pavilions combined new technologies and lifelike displays to educate the public about healthcare and human anatomy. Its success led to the founding of the Deutsches Hygiene-Museum, which in 1930 opened its own purpose-built home - an architectural monument to rationality and transparency in modern medical science.
The Community: New Delhi and Kolkata, 2011
In many parts of India, inadequate sewage systems mean that much of the population use dry latrines, which require continuous cleaning. Despite government attempts to outlaw 'manual scavenging', recent figures indicate that more than one million people still scrape an existence by clearing human waste from these facilities, often by hand. Conventionally, these 'scavengers' are Dalits (the 'broken people', formerly known as 'untouchables'). Paid a pittance and treated with contempt, their predicament is a symptom of the legacy of the Hindu caste system.
In many parts of India, inadequate sewage systems mean that much of the population use dry latrines, which require continuous cleaning. Despite government attempts to outlaw 'manual scavenging', recent figures indicate that more than one million people still scrape an existence by clearing human waste from these facilities, often by hand. Conventionally, these 'scavengers' are Dalits (the 'broken people', formerly known as 'untouchables'). Paid a pittance and treated with contempt, their predicament is a symptom of the legacy of the Hindu caste system.
The Land: Fresh Kills, 2030
Until 2001 when it closed, Fresh Kills on Staten Island was the world's largest municipal landfill site. Reputedly visible from space, it was almost three times the size of New York's Central Park, with a peak taller than the Statue of Liberty. At the height of operations in the 1980s, the site was receiving around 29 000 tonnes of rubbish a day - yet many of the city's inhabitants barely knew of its existence. At present, the site is undergoing a transformation: by 2030, Fresh Kills will open to the public, its landscapes redesigned for hikers, cyclists and ball-players, its native plants and wildlife restored.
Until 2001 when it closed, Fresh Kills on Staten Island was the world's largest municipal landfill site. Reputedly visible from space, it was almost three times the size of New York's Central Park, with a peak taller than the Statue of Liberty. At the height of operations in the 1980s, the site was receiving around 29 000 tonnes of rubbish a day - yet many of the city's inhabitants barely knew of its existence. At present, the site is undergoing a transformation: by 2030, Fresh Kills will open to the public, its landscapes redesigned for hikers, cyclists and ball-players, its native plants and wildlife restored.
Highlights include paintings by Pieter de Hooch, the earliest sketches of bacteria, John Snow's 'ghost map' of cholera, beautifully crafted delftware, Joseph Lister's scientific paraphernalia and a wide range of contemporary art, from Igor Eskinja's dust carpet, Susan Collis's bejewelled broom and James Croak's dirt window, to video pieces by Bruce Nauman and Mierle Ukeles and a specially commissioned work by Serena Korda.
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EVENTS
Unclean Beings
Friday 15 July, 19.00-21.00, & Saturday 16 July, 10.30-17.30
EXHIBITION
Welcome collection London
DIRT exhibition : 24 March-31 August
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