FUTUR II (TIME MACHINE), 2013
glass, steel, plastic, 245 x 240 x 200 cm
Coal plays a central role in the exhibition FUTUR II. Thomas Feuerstein starts from algae (Chlorella vulgaris), which are cultivated in specially developed glass objects and photobioreactors. The biomass of the algae is filtered out in the sculpture FUTUR II, which converts the organic material into coal through a chemical process of hydrothermal carbonisation. As in time-lapse, the plant cells turn into coal within a few hours, a process that would normally take thousands of years in nature. This is how coal is produced for art. The coal obtained in this way is pressed into charcoal, which is used for drawings.
glass, steel, plastic, 245 x 240 x 200 cm
Coal plays a central role in the exhibition FUTUR II. Thomas Feuerstein starts from algae (Chlorella vulgaris), which are cultivated in specially developed glass objects and photobioreactors. The biomass of the algae is filtered out in the sculpture FUTUR II, which converts the organic material into coal through a chemical process of hydrothermal carbonisation. As in time-lapse, the plant cells turn into coal within a few hours, a process that would normally take thousands of years in nature. This is how coal is produced for art. The coal obtained in this way is pressed into charcoal, which is used for drawings.