MICHAEL HIRSCHBICHLER

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site-spe­cif­ic art project, cast­ed stone sculp­tures, vari­able dimen­sions, 2019 — 2021

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“Lap­i­dar­i­um” is a site-spe­cif­ic art work cre­at­ed in the Rhine Val­ley of Grisons amidst quar­ries and grav­el pits. It focus­es on stone as a mate­r­i­al and myth-enshroud­ed cul­tur­al asset. The work traces the trans­for­ma­tions of stone, from its geo­log­i­cal for­ma­tion in the moun­tains, to its extrac­tion in quar­ries and its use in build­ings, to its demo­li­tion and reuse. This process is cap­tured in a series of stone sculp­tures con­ceived as a record­ing medi­um of exist­ing traces. Using an archae­o­log­i­cal method – with the help of clay, plas­ter and sil­i­cone rub­ber – traces of pro­cess­ing and trans­for­ma­tion of the stone were cast in dif­fer­ent places: in local quar­ries (traces of extrac­tion), in old build­ings (traces of use) and recy­cling yards (traces of debris). From these, molds were made for stone sculp­tures, in which this trans­for­ma­tion finds a con­tin­u­a­tion. For the sculp­tures, which cap­ture var­i­ous pre­vi­ous con­di­tions, were cast from the demo­li­tion mate­r­i­al of an old house, which was crushed and ground in two grav­el plants.

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