Fresh art wind in the RLB studio: Vernissage Virtual Wind on April 11th!

Fresh art wind in the RLB studio: Vernissage Virtual Wind on April 11th!

In the RLB Atelier in Lienz, there will soon be something very special to discover: On April 11, 2025, the exhibition "Virtual Wind" by the artist Daniel Leiter will open. This room installation combines art with economic and ecological topics and will have to be visited at the opening hours of the banking point until August 14th. The vernissage begins at 7 p.m.

The installation addresses the complex connection between the interests of the economy and the effects on the environment. Using cable trains that simulate wind movements, the connection between the stock market courses of fossil raw material groups and natural weather phenomena is visualized. According to dolomitenstadt , this artistic representation is concretized with the use of realzeit-exchange data from companies such as Shell, BP and Exxonmobil.

interactive wind simulation

A central element of the exhibition are 16 electric motors that control specially made parasols. These are able to react to large price fluctuations and to simulate the wind intensity. If the share price rises, the wind blows more; If it falls, the wind subsides. A mini-computer continuously downloads the stock exchange data and converts them into motor movements, which underlines the interactivity of the installation.

In addition, the installation will sensitize visitors to the often invisible but threatening processes that affect both the environment and the climate. For example, Heads refers to the "Reserve Replacement Ratio" (RRR) in order to clearly present the exploitation of natural resources. This happens in the context of a climate change that leads to the fact that weather conditions linger longer in one place and thus change the wind conditions.

research on art and environment

This artistic focus on environmental and ecological issues also finds support in science. From September 2024, a research group on the subject of "Art, Environment, Ecology" will be set up at the ZI, which will employ several researchers for over five years. The aim of the group is to develop innovative perspectives on art in the context of ecological questions and to promote broad networking with scientists, as described by the ZiKG

In the context of this initiative, individual research projects from different epochs of art history as well as different genres are to be developed. An overarching goal is the critical revision of the positioning of artists and art historical research with regard to ecological problems.

The exhibition "Virtual Wind" in the RLB Atelier and the research projects that arise in parallel show how art and science can work together to draw attention to urgent environmental issues and to promote new discourses.

The RLB Atelier is open from Monday to Friday from 8.30 a.m. to 12.15 p.m. and from 2 p.m. to 4.30 p.m. and cordially invites everyone interested to visit this innovative installation.