Angela Bulloch :
Krems Volksbank

The Krems Volksbank is housed in one of the beautiful gründerzeit houses in the heart of the historic centre of Krems. The prominent situation on the axis of the daily market is emphasised by a corner turret with three window axes facing Untere Landstrasse. In the course of the redesign of the cashiers hall and the façade an artistic intervention was envisaged to additionally mark the entrance zone. The internationally renowned artist Angela Bulloch was persuaded to accept the commission and submit a design. Bulloch proposed a light installation that would establish a connection between the entrance portal on Gartenauergasse and the bay window on the corner of the building. In front of the entrance the artist envisaged mounting a ball-shaped blue lamp on a 10 metre mast, while the bay window was to be given rear-lit coloured panes in red, cyan and yellow. A computer-controlled switchboard would have made the light hop between the entrance and the corner, establishing a refined link between the bank and the town's public space. Angela Bulloch's frequently interactive systems serve to organise different elements: lights go on and off, colours follow a particular logic, rules are made. The Canadian-born artist, who lives in Berlin and London, addresses the steering of patterns of behaviour by pre-set authorities. To this extent, her artworks are social sculptures that question these authorities. No wonder, then, that the bankers said: "thanks, but no thanks".
(Brigitte Huck)