#Artistresidency Miriam Hamann at Bureau des Arts 

Miriam Hamann‘s (Wels, 1986) work, realized during her artist residency at Bureau des Arts et Territoires in Montpellier, focused on the sculptural quality of urban, industrial objects and their immaterial manifestations.

Within the framework of the residency program that linked the artist with a local company called ID Scènes, Miriam Hamann developed a project directly referring to the industrial surroundings of the company. Thus the company and it’s location became the starting point of the artist’s research in which she reacted to different materials she was surrounded by. Materials that were used by the company’s employees as well as forgotten materials that were not even noticed any more.

Inspired by these materials and the technological equipping of the company, the artist realized a light installation using an old billboard that she found in the immediate vicinity of the company. Usually disregarded, the board got de-installed from its original place in order to be revived and transformed into something new. Analogous to its original function as an advertising, Miriam Hamann rebuilt the board, triggering some of the fluorescent tubes by digital devices in order to send a morse code message. The coded and sent phrase “Les lumières de la ville brillent encore” (“The lights of the city are still shining”), a quote from francophone writer t’Serstevens, refers to the board itself —something that seemed to be broken actually still works—but can also be seen as a reference to future changes of urban and technological structures.

In addition to this work Miriam Hamann also started sculptural approaches towards building new forms and structures out of materials used for stage construction.

After having been transformed, the board was remounted on the wall where it had been found, now flashing and repeating the coded message.

Besides the realization of this site-specific light installation Miriam Hamann also worked on a three channel video and sound installation made out of packing material. This material the artist came across constantly during her stay in the company. Being inspired by the enormous amount of packing material, Hamann realized a triptych video installation showing different slightly changing images of bubble wrap together with the sound emerging of the use of the material itself.