Present Pasts

2010, lamp, timer, bench build from scaffolding material

A lamp connected to a timer was lighting up the cellar. The space was illuminated for 2 minutes followed by 2 minutes of darkness; this rhythm was repeated throughout the show. In the middle of the space a bench made from scaffolding material was placed.
When the 2800sqm cellar was used as a shelter this room was intended to be the main bunker. The walls were reinforced and in 1943 a special panic light system was made. Large monochromatic squares were painted on the walls in phosphorescent paint and the doors and walls outlined. When electricity failed the paint would glow in a bright green color leaving people with a sense of spatial understanding and security. Sometime in the 90ties all the walls were painted white to get rid of graffiti this also covered the last bitts of the phosphorescent paint. When the lamp is installed it charges the old paint under the layers of graffiti and white paint enough for it to come through and the old squares, drips and outlines are exposed once again.