Continuously Habitable Zones

by Philippe Parreno

Première of the film in Berlin

The Daimler Art Collection is proud to present a new film by Philippe Parreno commissioned by the Daimler Art Collection, Stuttgart/Berlin, and Fondation Beyeler, Basel.

“There are no ‘cuts’ in the film but only stretching and folding of the landscape. Because of the camera’s presence, because of the possibility of fiction, the land becomes the film.”
Philippe Parreno

C.H.Z., 2011
14 minutes

Première:
Sunday, Nov 27, 2011, 5 p.m.
CineStar Potsdamer Platz

Following the film premiere the artist was be interviewed by Hans-Ulrich Obrist (Co-Director of Serpentine
Gallery, London).

Philippe Parreno, born 1964 in Orano, Algeria, lives and works in Paris.

After completing his degree in Mathematics, Philippe Parreno studied at the Art School in Grenoble and started exhibiting his work at the beginning of 1990s. His work revolves around the interrogation of the nature of an image as well as the modes of its exhibition. Parreno's work unites aspects of art, film, theatre and design. He creates transitional spaces of temporal, culturally and aesthetically defined commonality. Parreno's complex scenarios of images, objects, sound, projection and light have sought to redefine the exhibition experience.

Exhibition View Minimalism and Applied, Daimler Contemporary 2010

Philippe Parreno is represented in the Daimler Art Collection with a small group of works. In 2006, Parreno designed his Marquées series - functional indoor or outdoor light sculptures that look like early cinematic fittings. The artist abstractly hints at 'grand' content - titles of legendary films, evenings of exciting stories, stars and dramas - but then disappoints the expectations of visitors and passers-by. The space itself becomes the screen. The architectonic elements become surfaces for imaginary projections, and the exhibition visitors become cinema-goers, protagonists and actors.
Speaking to the Penguins, 2007, a colored infrared photograph shows Parreno delivering a two-hour lecture to a colony of Penguins on a beach in Patagonia. A beautiful surreal scenario, the photo at the same time evokes the idea that sometimes language can be devoid of meaning.
6:00 P.M., 2001, Philippe Parreno's projection of a field of light, interrupted by a few cast shadows, onto a carpet stems from the world of the thinkable that can happen everywhere. You find this world in books, comics, video games or films which are interspersed with spaces and temporality.

The Daimler Art Collection, founded in 1977, consists of around 2000 works by appr. 700 international artists and focuses on abstract avant-garde tendencies. Since the 100th anniversary of the company in 1986, the Collection has commissioned distinguished international contemporary artists, beginning with Andy Warhol, on a regular basis.

This year, in celebration of the 125th anniversary of the automobile, the Daimler Art Collection presented its most comprehensive exhibition, with around 200 works by 100 international artists, at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart. On this occasion new works by Nic Hess, Michael Sailstorfer, Georg Winter and Philippe Parreno have been commissioned.

Continuously Habitable Zones
aka C.H.Z.
Commissioned by the Daimler Art Collection Berlin/Stuttgart and Fondation Beyeler, Basel
With the support of Esther Schipper, Pilar Corrias, Paolo and Rosario Pimenta
A film by Philippe Parreno
A landspape designed with Bas Smets(B.B.S.)
Cinematographer: Darius Khondji A.S.C., A.F.C.
Sound Artist: Nicolas Becker
Sound Re-Recording Mixer: Cyril Holtz
Art director: Jean Vincent Puzos
Film editor: Hervé Schneid A.C.E assisted by Anita Roth
Post-production: Digimage, Montrouge
Visual effects: Thierry Delobel, Eclairlab, Paris
Color Grading: Didier Lefouest
Special thanks to Dr. Renate Wiehager, Christian Ganzenberg, Sam Keller, Isabela Mora
and Juliao Sarmento
Produced by Elisa Larrière/Silex Films and Studio Philippe Parreno
Executive producer: Katya Mokolo
Co-producer: Douglas Gordon
2011
Runtime: 14 minutes
Color
Sound Mix: 5.1
Aspect Ratio 1.80