The Air Itself is One Vast Library, 2010
(Hunting Percival Pembroke C 1; De-Havilland Comet C NK 2; De-Havilland Comet C NK; Consolidated Liberator V11; Lockheed C-130 Hercules). Artist Proof of Tipp-ex and ink on photograph. 16.5 x 21.5 cm
Photo: LABoral
Missile tracking radar [MTR], 2010
(Graphite on paper, 235cm x 340cm)
Psychopomp (Hercules Missile, graphite rubbing, version 3) 2010/2011
(Two giclee prints, 1350 x 110 cm)
The Air Itself is One Vast Library represents a series of images that explore the disturbing, and often invisible, technologies of war. In contrast with her more familiar depictions of landscape and the sublimity of nature, this study brings us face to face with weapons of mass destruction. Neudecker’s artistic strategy is rooted in ‘ground truth’, a term used in remote sensing to describe data collected on location. Works created whilst on site at the historic Nike missile facility in the US are emblematic of Neudecker’s determination to go beyond mere representation. Her graphite rubbings of vast Hercules missiles (Pyschopomp) physically capture the object, making what is otherwise abstract and monstrous, tactile and present. Other works investigate military imaging and tactical communication, which provide us with new ways of detecting what is intended to be camouflaged and out of view.
Courtesy: Mariele Neudecker; Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin
