Carsten Höller
Aufzugbett, 2010

Installation view: Carsten Höller: LEBEN, Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary, Vienna, 2014
Photo: Attilio Maranzano, © Carsten Höller / Bildrecht
Commissions
Collection

Installation with electric scissor lift, steel, wooden panels, acrylic panels, operational controls, furnishings, mattress, sheets, light bulbs
163 - 443 (height adjustable) x 542 x 542 cm
Commissioned by Thyssen-Bornemisza Art Contemporary 


Circular bed mounted on a disk. A dial for raising and lowering the bed through an electric scissor lift is located on either side of the headboard. The bed rises with a gradual horizontal rotation to 180°, reaching a maximum height of 4.25 meters. The bed can also be locked at a lower height at the guest’s choosing. Drawers for personal items and clothing are located underneath the bed; a minibar is installed below one adjacent nightstand, a coffee machine under the other. Along with an overnight stay in the Aufzugbett (Elevator bed), guests were invited to experience the exhibition LEBEN and TBA21–Augarten by themselves for a night. In the morning, breakfast was served before the space opens to the general public.


*1961 in Brussels, Belgium I Living and working in Stockholm, Sweden
 
Carsten Höller holds a doctorate in agricultural science, specializing in the area of insects' olfactory communication strategies, from University of Kiel. In his work, Höller creates situations which question familiar forms of perception and allow exhibition visitors to experiment on themselves, often inviting the public's active participation in so-called "influential environments". Höller's works are occasionally reminiscent of scientific laboratory arrangements, allowing the viewer to become the subject of an experiment. His work encompasses buildings, vehicles, slides, toys, games, narcotics, animals, performances, lectures, 3D films, flashing lights, mirrors, eyewear and sensory deprivation tanks. 

This biography is from Wikipedia under an Attribution-ShareAlike Creative Commons License