Basel-Concrete 1971

Editor: Wolf Vostell’s “Basel-Concrete,” a print of some kind, shows a distorted, almost apocalyptic aerial view. The concrete slab element really dominates. What do you see in this piece? Curator: This work powerfully juxtaposes the manufactured and the natural, highlighting the means of production inherent in urbanization. Consider the concrete: how does its form, almost like a displaced landmass, critique our consumption of resources? Editor: It's like the city is being consumed by this…concrete monster. Does the aerial perspective change how we read the materials? Curator: Absolutely. It asks us to consider the broader social and ecological costs of relentless development. Vostell is challenging us to think about the labor and materials that construct our world. Editor: I never thought of it that way, but it's definitely about the consequences of building. Curator: Precisely. It invites us to question the very foundations upon which we build our societies.