VIEW? SHAPE!

In cooperation with the Art History Research Department and the Weltmuseum Wien

 

The panorama, a two-dimensional image with a wide field of vision, enables a comprehensive representation of landscapes or scenes on a flat surface. It offers the viewer a simultaneous view of different aspects without having to change position. This static approach contrasts with the dynamic creation of a panorama, which requires movement along the information chain to be depicted. Similar to cartography, the panorama translates three-dimensional information into a two-dimensional form, whereby the resulting stretching and distortion of space produces a compressed but clear documentation of a section.

 

In contrast to the abstract nature of cartography, contemporary panoramas vary in their degree of abstraction, from highly abstract representations to detailed digital realizations. This variety makes it possible to capture and convey different aspects of reality in different ways. In contrast to the static panorama is the multi-sensory experience of a three-dimensional object that allows the viewer to explore and touch it from different perspectives.

 

Perception itself is not a static but a dynamic process, closely linked to movement and interaction. This realization is in tension with the static nature of the panorama and raises questions about the perception and representation of space. The role of the viewer is central to this, oscillating between active engagement and passive observation, whereby even passive observation can contain subtle forms of active perception and reflection.

 

The transformation of a panorama into a three-dimensional form reflects the complexity of human perception and invites the viewer to re-evaluate their position in space and their relationship to the world depicted. The deconstruction of a panorama can reveal hidden meanings and ideological constructions and open up new narrative and aesthetic possibilities.

 

The semester offers a wide range of opportunities for artistic exploration of the panorama concept. Students are encouraged to create their own panoramas, taking into account both technical and conceptual aspects. The study of historical panoramas enables critical reflection and artistic reinterpretation, while experiments with different forms of presentation can influence and control the viewer's perception. The investigation of spatial construction and perception in the panorama can lead to new insights into the creation of spatial illusions and their interaction with cognitive spatial perception.

 

This examination calls for critical reflection on our habits of perception and the mechanisms of reality construction. It raises questions about changes in our perception during the transition from a two-dimensional image to a tangible object, about the role of cognitive processes in the interpretation of spatiality and about the influence of context and culture on the interpretation and translation of panoramas.

 

The project will conclude with an exhibition at the Weltmuseum, which will serve as a forum for discourse on the topics researched. The final result of the students' work will be a physical object. This tangible realization of the artistic exploration enables a direct, tactile experience and combines theoretical considerations with practical design. In this way, the boundaries between image and sculpture, representation and experience are explored anew.

 

Cosma Grosser

Harald Stühlinger

Gregor Titze