Philipp Messner - CLOUDS

Clouds is the title of a performative happening by Philipp Messner which was on show on the Südwiese in front of Munich’s Alte Pinakothek in January 2016. Three snow cannons of the kind used for ski slopes in Alpine regions were installed on this central urban space in Munich’s art district. Dye was added to the water supply, meaning that the machines produced colored artificial snow, thus creating a field of walkable crystalline layers of color with a surreal look to them. The accompanying artist’s book features a wealth of images, lavishly documenting this sculptural performance. The catalogue’s graphic and material design reflects the basic aspects of the project – our perception of naturalness and artificiality and of spatiality and materiality, as well as focusing on the motifs of layering and overlapping.