News & Events

Fake rain & giant windscreen wipers!

New international art works constructed with help from The University of Nottingham

Staff and students from The University of Nottingham have worked alongside the team at Nottingham Contemporary to help realise major new art works by the international artist Klaus Weber. Weber’s spectacular new exhibition at the gallery includes a life-sized moving figure of a man running off the roof, a sun mirror, artificial rain and a tornado made from a humble hoover. His art works explore disruptive natural forces, and our own idea of what is natural.

‘Running man’ will launch himself from the highest golden tower on the gallery’s roof, ten metres above the street. Like a cartoon character that runs off a cliff, he will be suspended in mid-air, legs pumping furiously. The sculpture was been made by a company in Berlin, while the Environmental Technology Centre at the University has advised on the supporting structure. A motor in his chest drives pistons that give his legs their running action.

 The Environmental Technology Centre at The University of Nottingham, under project officer Gerald Busca, has also designed and made an artificial rain fountain that will recycle 250 litres of water through 12 metres of pipe. An electric pump fires “rain” at our 9 metre Weekday Cross window. The rain will be cleared by giant windscreen wipers, ordered from a specialist manufacturer who makes them for container ships.

A heliostat – a device for concentrating the sun’s rays will be installed on the roof. A motor attached to it will allow it to turn during the day, following the sun itself. The rays will be directed through a series of mirrors through a skylight into the gallery below where it will print a book at a rate of two pages a day.  Benson Lau, Course Director at the Institute of Architecture at the University of Nottingham’s Faculty of Engineering, and some of his students, are technical advisers on this project.

The exhibition also has a four and half metre giant wind chime. It is tuned to the “tritonic” scale – reputedly banned in the Middle Ages as it was believed to summon the devil, now used in hell-raising heavy metal music. Weber’s “bee paintings” were created by bees themselves – during their first “cleansing flight” of the year they excrete on white surfaces, and have obligingly chosen these canvases.

Alongside Weber’s solo exhibition, called ‘If you leave me I’m not coming’, the artist has a second exhibition at Nottingham Contemporary that he has curated. ‘Already there!’ is a collection of 200 objects and art works, chosen by Weber from collections at Tate, the Science Museum, The Ashmolean, University College London and the Bode Museum in Berlin. Described as the “foundations” of his art works, they include tools used by hominids, our distant ancestors, Bronze Age animal sculptures, a bird cage from a lunatic asylum, an armadillo skeleton, brain coral and Regency anatomical models with lift-out organs. The objects will be displayed alongside loans from Tate, chosen by Weber, dating back to 1661. Artists include Louise Bourgeois, William Hogarth and Gilbert & George.

Alex Farquharson, Director of Nottingham Contemporary, said: “We are very pleased to have a partnership with both of Nottingham’s universities, which is unique in the arts world. We work with them very closely on our programme of free public talks and discussions. For this exhibition, the staff and students at The University of Nottingham have helped us to realise very complicated international art works. We are very grateful to have benefitted from their great expertise and enthusiasm.”

The University of Nottingham and Nottingham Trent University both fund Nottingham Contemporary’s programme of talks, discussions and events that are free and open to the public.

Klaus Weber

If you leave me I’m not coming
&
Already there!
(200 objects spanning a million years, including art works by Enrico Baj, Louise Bourgeois, Andre Bréton, Gilbert & George, Nan Goldin, William Hogarth, Eduardo Paolozzi, Cornelia Parker, Sigmar Polke and Kurt Schwitters.)

22 October – 8 January 2011

Klaus Weber was born in Sigmaringen, Germany, 1967. He lives and works in Berlin. He has exhibited in prominent art galleries and art institutions in America, Europe and Japan.

Nottingham Contemporary brings international art to an iconic building in the city centre. Designed by Caruso St John, it is one of the largest and most ambitious contemporary art spaces in the UK. Since we opened in November 2009 we have welcome nearly 500,000 visitors.

For more information contact Lynn Hanna or Vicky Godfrey 0115 948 9763 or email vicky@nottinghamcontemporary.org

Nottingham Contemporary, Weekday Cross, Nottingham NG1 2GB, 0115 948 9750
www.nottinghamcontemporary.org. Free entry

Gallery opening hours
Tue – Fri: 10am– 7pm
Bank Holidays and Saturdays 10am - 6pm
Sundays 11am-5pm. Closed on Mondays (except for Bank Holidays).
The Klaus Weber exhibition is supported by The University of Nottingham, The Henry Moore Foundation, the Goethe Institute, BerlinerHonig, von Berliner Bärengold and Plus Tate.
Nottingham Contemporary is regularly funded by Arts Council England and Nottingham City Council.