170716 God Invented the Cyclist

Description

An installation/action environment made for the Karlsruhe Academy summer exhibition from a modified exercise-bike construction, the altered exhibition room and 170715. At the opening the bike was activated by the artists and offered for audience participation; the Work later continued outside the room when the construction was placed on an empty pedestal at the Academy entrance.

16.07.17
installation · kinetic sculpture · performance
Kunstakademie Karlsruhe, Karlsruhe, Germany

Authorial Comment

During the presentation of the object at the opening of the summer exhibition, the artists sat naked astride the art object and turned the pedals, inviting the audience to take part as well. When the Academy rector, Professor Caramelle, entered the room, he looked at it and said approvingly, “Keep going!” Then he left.

Derived English translation, 24 August 2026.

Related Works

170715 About CommunicationMade and filmed during the Karlsruhe Academy summer exhibition within God Invented the Cyclist, the second act of Karlsruhe Academy Invasion, the Work treats reception as an event that precedes permission: the message is already inside the listener before seeing, hearing or understanding can be refused.
170621-2 Karlsruhe Academy InvasionA two-act institutional intervention begun by entering the Karlsruhe Art Academy without formal status or an internal map. The first incursion used the institution's response to reveal how it was organised; the access created in response — Guest Student status and participation in the summer exhibition — became the condition for the second act.
170612 This text is not what it is aboutThe video installation captures the artists offstage by the light of text projection during Summer 2017.