Production Limits2008 / Interactive User InstallationMartin Walde  I left an imprint of my thumb on a small-scaled wax cube several years ago (Halucigenia Products, 1993) and said: "This is a chair. If only my thumb was big enough...." In this situation the size of a human thumb was the most obvious limit of production. Over the years when looking at the transformed cube, I realised that there was more to it than the usual "blow up" of a small-scaled model. It was, I thought, a myth of creation. All I had to do is to enlarge cube and thumb during the process of production. The video (2007/2008) shows this process from fact to fiction in one large zoom. First a little yellow cube appears on the wall – a life-sized thumb appears from top, slowly moving down towards the cube. In the very moment the thumb touches the cube, the image rapidly grows reaching a humongous size. A giant thumb squeezes the cube, moving out of the image and leaving behind a chair-shaped mould, suddenly big enough to take a seat. At a large table, which is situated close to the video, thousands of little yellow cubes are presented. At the table, the possibilities offered to create one’s own imprint and to solidify the imprint in a small oven. The procedure takes approximately fifteen minutes. The installation is called Production Limits. The cube is a gift. The video only shows the artists take on the small object. The public may reproduce or change the procedure or idea of the object. In every step of the production of the different elements of the work the limits of production were an obvious obstacle, pushing against the fact that nobody really needs these kinds of things. For example, the company that produces the material of the cubes had to change some detail on the production device in order to produce the special format of the cube. And finally the appropriate packaging of ten thousand cubes pushes the limit of production. In every detail the borders of production standards had to be rendered. (Martin Walde) Martin Walde (geb. 1957, Österreich) Solo Exhibitions: 1984 Museum van Hedendaagse Kunst, Belgien 1989 Generali Foundation, Österreich 1996 Wiener Secession, Österreich 1999 Suitable Ideas, Lombard Freid Gallery, USA 1999 Releasing Senses, Tokyo Opera City Art Gallery, Japan 2001 Fuchu Art Museum, Tokyo, Japan 2001 NADiff, Japan 2002 clips of slips, Salzburger Kunstverein, Österreich 2003 Villa Arson, Frankreich 2003 Der Regen hat eine angenehme Temperatur, Städtische Galerie Nordhorn, Deutschland 2005 Martin Walde, Galerie im Taxispalais, Innsbruck, Österreich 2006 Humming, Kunsthaus Baselland, Schweiz 2007 Future Systems: rare moments, LENTOS, Österreich 2008 Halucigenia & More Galerie Krinzinger, Österreich · http://www.martinwalde.at/  © Photo: Philippe Batka Martin Walde, Production Limits, 2008, Interactive User Installation, HD Video DVD, tables, baking oven, 10.000 yellow FIMO cubes, Courtesy Galerie Krinzinger |