Michael Singer to Show Largest Comprehensive Exhibit To-Date at Denmark's Utzon Center Jun-Nov

June 2, 2011 - PRLog -- Aalborg, Denmark – As our societies begin to repair the environmental damages from the past 200 years, Michael Singer’s diverse, interdisciplinary work offers inspiration and new direction. On June 7th, 2011 the Utzon Center in Aalborg, Denmark (www.utzoncenter.dk/en/welcome.htm), will open a large and impressive exhibition of sculptures, collages on paper, garden art and architectural projects by the internationally renowned artist and designer Michael Singer. For the past four decades, Singer has made a significant and forceful impact on the art world by addressing the integration of community needs, sustainable building principles, land-use planning, environmental responsibility, and aesthetic design. His work has been instrumental in transforming public art, architecture, landscape and planning projects into successful models for urban and ecological renewal.

Re- enchantment of Nature and Urban Space presents an unparalleled opportunity to study the development of Singer’s artistic process – from his art world successes, as seen in his countless exhibitions including his 1984 solo exhibition at the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum, to his new, unexpected role as an artist problem-solving in the public realm. The exhibit showcases five magnificent indoor sculptures, several poetic collages on paper and sixteen large photographic panels of Singer’s private and public gardens, houses, food markets, urban waterfronts and wastes facilities among others. Many of these projects result from the collaborative, interdisciplinary efforts of the Michael Singer Studio team. The team, a multifaceted art, design, and planning studio led by the artist, focuses on four core principles; site-specificity, ecological regeneration, craft and detail, and an interdisciplinary team approach. These challenges also permeate the Utzon Center’s mission and wide spectrum of work. Architect Jørn Utzon – famous for his design of the Sydney Opera House – sought responsiveness to what he called “Nature’s Principles of Growth” and the ability to be in contact with the times and the surroundings. The Singer exhibition, Re- enchantment of Nature and Urban Space, fulfills and reflects Jørn Utzon’s principles in an especially significant way.

Since the 1970’s, Michael Singer’s work has opened new possibilities for outdoor and indoor sculpture, contributing to the definition of site-specific art and the development of public places. He has directly confronted fundamental issues of our time: how to balance and integrate human needs with those of nature, how to live with nature rather than against it. In the public realm, Singer is best known for Solid Waste Transfer and Recycling Center, Phoenix, Arizona (1989-1993), the first aesthetically powerful garbage and recycling plant in the U. S. The structure, designed by Singer’s artist team, is credited with changing the meaning and experience of public projects. Singer’s work has further been supported by such prestigious institutions as the National Endowment for the Arts (www.nea.gov/), the John Simon Guggenheim Memorial Foundation (www.gf.org/), The Rockefeller Foundation (www.rockefellerfoundation.org/) and the Foundation for Art and Preservation in Embassies (www.fapeglobal.org/). For more information on Michael Singer, please see here: www.michaelsinger.com/. A seminar entitled “New Alliances: Body, Nature and Social Relations” will be held on June 6-7 in Copenhagen with Michael Singer and his distinguished colleague, philosopher Richard Shusterman, together with other prominent architects, researchers and students in connection with Re- enchantment of Nature and Urban Space. For more information on the exhibition and seminar, please see here: www.utzoncenter.dk/en/exhibitions/future_exhibitions_02/michael_ ...

Images: To download high-resolution images see: www.yousendit.com/download/dkJvYlJmYWJlM1JFQlE9PQ
(*Note: Please credit all images according to the information enclosed in the folder herein.)

Sponsorship: This exhibition is supported by the Utzon Foundation, OAK Foundation, Aalborg Kommune, Utzon Fonden, Velux Fonden, Aage og Johanne Louis-Hansens Fond, Knud Højgaards Fond and Dreyers Fond og Frimodt-Heineke Fonden.

About the Utzon Center
The Utzon Center in Aalborg is led by Director Anni Walther and was designed by Jørn Utzon. It is a dynamic and experimental exhibition venue. As a cultural and resource centre it is a gathering place for architects, designers, visual artists, researchers and students from many countries. Fruitful connections between the local and the global, between architecture, art and other forms of expression from different cultures, are made.

About the Curator
Dr. Else Marie Bukdahl is the curator of this exhibition and has also edited the catalogue. She is former rector of The Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts (1985-2005) and fellow of The Royal Danish and The Royal Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters. In addition to her work with the Utzon Center and Chinese and Arabic institutions, among others, she does research in France on the intersection of art and philosophy and is the recipient of the prestigious “Officier des Palmes Academiques” and “Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres” in France.

Media Contacts
For the Utzon Center
Anni Walther
agw@aalborg.dk
Tel. +45 7690 5000

For Michael Singer
Jason Bregman
jbregman@michaelsinger.com
Tel. +1-561-699-3681