Berlin Biennale 9

Created from flatbed scans of three-dimensional objects, the murky aesthetic of Lucie Stahl’s collage-style prints looks to larger processes by which physical detritus and natural contamination are generated. In Stahl’s contribution, scanned works are combined with photographs. Images of brown coal extraction sites and extracting machinery were shot in the Lusatian region of Germany, not far from Berlin. In this area, local activists are engaged in a fierce battle with the coal mining industry about the planned expansion of this non-renewable energy source.

The work also includes photographs of a miniature power plant, blown up to over life-size. These images are pierced by circular orifices, which are connected by a tubing system made of vent pipes running behind the walls and out of the exhibition space. Forming periscopes, these holes channel the gaze to offer a specific view outside of the KW building.