Liam Gillick


Revision in the Snow, 2007

City of Cologne, Customer’s Centre Laurenzplatz 1–3, Mon–Fri 7:00 am–7:00 pm, first Saturday of the month 10:00 am – 1:00 pm

Liam Gillick’s textual work can be regarded as part of a potentially longer narrative describing a post-utopian society, the semiotic systems of public life, and the symbols that it uses and which it sometimes unwittingly subverts. In earlier texts, such as “Discussion Island: The Big Conference Room” and “Literally No Place,” Gillick marked public buildings and other urban plans as sites where the power structures and functional mechanisms of post-industrial societies are articulated. His concept for “Models for Tomorrow: Cologne” describes 
a potentially new institution, which,
 regardless of specific locale, unfolds in a setting made up of collaborative systems arising from modernist ideals and a society that nevertheless continues to function in a pragmatic sense. Here, the urban space of Cologne figures as a setting that provides commentary. Gillick subtly contrasts this with his analysis of a cultural praxis subverting existing modes of action.