“À bout de souffle – Temporary Respite“ is an intervention in public space consisting of an interactive bench that autonomously comments and regulates its own usage. A bench that usually is unconditional in its receiving of guests and invites to linger now addresses the strive of fleeing persons for a safe haven and the regulations associated with it.
The bench is a donation from the municipality of Marchtrenk and matches the design of other benches in Marchtrenk’s public spaces, all of which feature a typographic motto on their backrests.
On the works of 431art:
“Grosch and Rausch do not highlight the separation between reality and truth, but instead draw attention—often playfully—to the way the visible and the invisible are inextricably intertwined. It is characteristic of their work how seriousness, wit, and irony intersect to evoke emotional reflection.”
(Christoph Wilhelm Aigner)
“The projects of 431art are imbued with a sense of social utopia and a strong ecological and political stance. Their artistic approach is characterized by media crossovers and a socio-culturally interactive orientation. The situations and images created by the artist duo 431art operate at the intersection of everyday life and scientific research. They explore the spaces for which they are designed not only in historical dimensions, but also offer forward-looking—i.e., socially utopian—solutions. Hidden and previously invisible images come to the surface—images that appear both familiar and alien at the same time. Images that provoke.”
(Christian Kaufmann)