Mediation of ideas, and creating a network of a larger and larger circle of friends was the motive underlaying Proposition for Reclaiming a Space, a reconstruction of the first gallery of Konrad Fischer that opened in the sixties in the Neubruckstrasse in Dusseldorf.
As its example, Proposition for Reclaiming a Space is based on the very simple gesture of creating in an in-between-space - in an alley used to transport goods and allow people entrance to buildings in the back yard - a new, open space by installing two glass doors on both sides. This reconstruction presents the possibilities of creating and giving room, where artists - not objects - are the central notion in the development of such a space: an attitude based on trust. With this attitude in mind we created an open empty space, thus giving the opportunity to revive, re-experience and review the actual space as well as the myth.
An interview with Konrad Fischer by George Jappe, published in Studio International, vol. 181/1971, and reprinted as a folder, was placed in the space, available to the public.
In 2002, the work was reinstalled at the same location for EAST, by artist Stuart Taylor. The selectors then were Lawrence Weiner and Jack Wendler.
Stuart Taylor also staged a conceptual intervention in the exhibition catalogue that re-presented three earlier historical works—including Proposition for Reclaiming a Space—as a gesture to enact memory and challenge institutional standardization. We shipped the installation but weren’t involved with installing the work. A new dispatch no 081 was printed to be in the space, with the names of the 20022 selectors.
In 2001 Proposition for Reclaiming a Space, was exhibited for the first time as the Unlimited Edition (1:1 scale), accompanied by a brief explanation and assembly instructions; to start a gallery, with photographs of possible locations in cities. Ideally, the Unlimited Edition could be purchased at IKEA stores worldwide. This Unlimited Edition was presented at several venues, including an art fair where the work was shown near the Konrad Fischer Gallery booth.
Just as with Proposition for Reclaiming a Space, the Unlimited Edition reflects an enduring optimism and confidence in the power of art to act as a catalyst for change.
