Arbeit/Freizeit

Maria Eichhorn

Arbeit/Freizeit, 1994-1996

Eine Ausstellung der Belegschaft der Generali Landesdirektion Ost (Berlin)

Artwork text

Work/Leisure After a fairly long preparatory phase, the realization of the project began on February 24, 1995, at a specially convened company meeting of Generali Insurance, Regional Office North, Berlin. Those present were Sabine Breitwieser, the director of the Generali Foundation, Vienna, and 40 staff members. The meeting served to ex-plain the project in detail and answer any open questions. All 58 staff members were given individual briefings on the project over the next few weeks. The project is devoted to the examination of the Work/Leisure complex and individual attitudes to it, and includes an exhibition carried out with the participation of all staff members. Questionnaires were distributed; responses were treated confidentially. Some questionnaires were filled out and returned the same day. Within 14 days, 23 written proposals had been handed in. A further 26 proposals were made during individual consultations. By the end of June, 1995, there were a total of 49 proposals for the project. On 12 March 1996, all the exhibits and a model for the display case were presented at a second company meet-ing. Present were Sabine Breitwieser, Winfried Böttcher, director of the Regional Office East, and half of the staff. The further course of the project was discussed. A list of all the exhibits was drawn up to clarify the prop-erty situation; staff members marked each item as “Permanent loan,” “Gift,” or “Purchased object.” Twenty-two exhibits are gifts, twelve exhibits were purchased, 15 exhibits are permanent loans. Exhibits marked “Gift” or “Purchased object” are thus the property of the Generali Foundation. Exhibits marked “Loan” remain in the possession of the staff members; they have been made temporarily available for the exhibition. Forty-seven exhibits are displayed in a cylindrical display case. Two exhibits (aquarium, plant) are presented on their own. The display case (220 cm high) consists of a top and base with a radial groove for sliding doors, four shelves, five core units, four double-sided frames, four ball-bearing slides, four cylindrically curved sliding doors made of Plexiglas, and 36 halogen spotlights. It can be completely assembled and dismantled without the use of screws. The shelves (ø 160 cm) are made of 30 mm beech plywood with grooves to hold the lighting leads, a guiding groove for the central unit and a cross-shaped slot for mobile picture frames. The frames are attached to the top of the display case on ball-bearing slides and can be pulled out. They contain photos, drawings, notes, plans, etc.; the objects are on the shelves. The central unit (ø 50 cm) consists of five individual parts, each stabi-lized inside by two discs and a cross-shaped supporting construction. The display case is lit by 36 low-voltage halogen spotlights fed via a ring-core transformer. The transformer and a receiver unit for turning the lights on and off by radio control are on the display case. The doors are made of cylindrically curved Plexiglas XT and can be slid open and shut on a ball-bearing track. In September and October 1996, Annett Gröschner and Helmut Höge carried out interviews with the project par-ticipants and wrote short portraits for the publication. The project Work/Leisure contains the contributions by the participants, a publication with various articles, and the exhibition display. (Maria Eichhorn) 1 How do you define the word “work”? 2 How do you define the word “leisure”? 3 What does work or leisure mean to you? 4 Is your leisure the time when you (are able to) do nothing? 5 How do you spend your free time? 6 How do you spend your working time? 7 Do you think you have enough days holiday? 8 Do you see weekends as being something positive? 9 Would time hang heavy on your hands without work, or do you never really have time to do the things that interest you? 10 Do other people (parents, children, etc.) make demands on you in your leisure time (after work/weekends/holiday time), or can you do what you want with this time? 11 Do you know what it is to feel bored? 12 What do you really like doing? 13 Do you like being served, or would you rather serve other people? 14 Would you join a group that is socially or politically involved? 15 Is there anything you always (would like to) have nearby? 16 Is there anything you would like but (for whatever reason) do not have? 17 Do you have a lucky charm/talisman? 18 Do you have a lucky number and lucky color, a lucky day and month? 19 Do you like company, or do you prefer to do things on your own? 20 If you see something you like, do you want to have it at all costs, or do you forget it again quickly? 21 Do you prefer to spend money on material things, such as clothing, or on trips, food, etc.? 22 Do you have particular preferences (fashion, furniture etc.)? 23 Do you make it clear where you stand in discussions (politically, with regard to general social issues), or are you more a quiet observer or listener? 24 If there were something that could represent you as a personality, it would be a… 25 Do you collect anything? 26 Do you travel abroad? If so, what country/ language do you prefer? 27 What would be your dream profession? 28 What did you want to be as a child? 29 Is there anything people say you do particularly well? 30 Does this assessment coincide with your own, or do you have hidden talents that only you know about? 31 Do you believe in talent, or is creativity based on personal interest in the field concerned? 32 For the exhibition Work/Leisure, objects are being collected from all the staff. What do you propose for the exhibition? For the Work/Leisure project, objects can be proposed that were created during everyday activities, during work, or during leisure time. The objects can be found, bought, or made by yourself or others. All objects are to be collected, catalogued, and permanently displayed in the foyer of Generali Regional Office East.