Audience Works, 2013

Basel 2015

Work on Paper

Artist's book - 2 volumes

21.3 x 31.1 x 3.0 （厘米）

8.4 x 12.2 x 1.2 （吋）

"Audience Works", is an artist’s book that in first instance takes an interest in the work’s public, in other words, in its own audience. Seventeen interactive installations, produced by Samuel Bianchini between 1999 and 2012, are considered with the rigorous precision scientists are known for. The study concentrates exclusively on the audience, who act both as spectators and simultaneous for active agent. Parallel to the creation of these installations, the artist, who is also a teacher-researcher, has here documented through photography how the audience acts on his works, in order to formulate Audience Works, an individual work on its own. "Audience Works" proposes a series of photographs shot by Samuel Bianchini who has taken a important number of pictures of the public acting in his installations – more than 30 000. A selection of almost 1000 photographs is here published. The analytical observation of these images reveals the intimacy of the public, who firstly discover and then comprehend the work, through fumbling, surprise, joy, wonder, fear or frustration. The artist becomes an ergonomist or even an ethnologist, using his own work as a field of research. A second volume, entitled "Manual", is dedicated to the text, legends written for the 17 installations, published in 8 languages: English, Arab, Chinese, Spanish, French, Japanese, Portuguese and Russian. The editorial form that is chosen here is reminiscent of the layout commonly applied to manuals and guidelines of electronic equipment. With "Audience Works", Samuel Bianchini extends the reactive character of his works and focuses on the participative dimension of his audience by publishing a book whose cover is responsive to temperature; the ink reacts to the heat of the hand. The title of the publication only appears if the reader is able to handle the object – without any gloves. Samuel Bianchini deeply values experience: one must live and practice the exhibition, and not solely contemplate it. The viewer is inseparable from Samuel Bianchini’s creation process. The work can’t exist without the other. "Audience Works" consists of two volumes: Vol 1: 29.7 x 19.8 cm, 208 pages Vol 2: 21 x 114 cm, 192 pages Volumes inserted in a slipcase, 31.1 x 21.3 x 3 cm Limited edition of 100 numbered and signed sets of two volumes: 67 sets + 8 sets destined for Audience Works - Showcase for Touching + 25 artist's proofs Produced and published in 2013 by mfc-michèle didier ©2013 Samuel Bianchini and mfc-michèle didier