Emergency Room (art)

Emergency Room by Thierry Geoffroy, PS1/MOMA 2007

Emergency Room in Athens, 2007

Participants debate after "The Passage"

Emergency Room Entrance

Emergency Room in Paris, 2008. "The Passage""

Emergency Room in Hanoi, 2009 - Debate after "The Passage"

Emergency Room is an art format by Thierry Geoffroy for artists with desire to engage in the current debate. It is an exhibition space where artists are invited to contribute with art works that are produced in the very present and respond to ongoing social issues. In order to exhibit, an artist has to wait months or years in order to negotiate with art institutions, find funding and collaborators. Through Emergency Room, artists can react every day. By being a constantly changing exhibition space commenting on current events Emergency Room creates a hotline to the public and to the mass media:


“Artists, audience and media have been fighting for weeks in order to get to see and participate in the new and innovating exhibition that with its "art of the news" puts the art institution itself to debate.
Reuters, The New Yorker and the TV-channel ABC News are some of the leading media that have brought the story about the original exhibition, and at P.S.1 more than a thousand visitors per day have been seeing it…" (Nikolaj M. Lassen, Weekendavisen, March 30th, 2007) 


Artists

Emergency Room deliberately chooses to mix evidently different aesthetics; for instance cross-media artists with abstract painters or sculptors. Founder, Thierry Geoffroy, describes the Emergency Room as a format where artists can ”train their awareness muscle” and allows them to work in an environment where experimentation and artistic daring is welcomed. Artists evolve and develop new unexpected methods and art forms often resulting in significant changes in the praxis of participants and thereby in the aesthetics of the emergency art as such.

The Emergency Room Art Format

When an art institution has agreed  to host the Emergency Room format it is given the license to produce and exhibit a local version of the art format. This allows Emergency Room to be actualized several places across the world at the same time, intensifying the community and its effect. Other formats by Thierry Geoffroy include Awareness Muscle, Protest Fashion and Biennalist. These are all derived from Emergency Room and are available as smaller and more mobile alternatives to the core format.

Part of the Emergency Room format is a certain perfected system and savoir faire executed and taught to the collaborating artists by the ER staff. Punctuality is a keystone when the artwork of yesterday daily at 12.30 p.m. is removed from the Emergency Room to give space to the artwork of today. This ritual is called “The Passage” and is the central element of the constant changing Emergency Room. Some days 20 artist will turn up for the Passage, other days only 10. On rare occasions the alerting apathy of people is proven by nobody showing up.  Other days the news of the day will start a storm of reactions from outraged or thrilled artists, creating a creative explosion of awareness to be witnessed by all the lucky visitors and media present at the time of the Passage. Here the true energetic symbiosis of the artist as representative of the public opinion is revealed and fed back into the media channels. 


Emergency Room can be combined with the Delay Museum where yesterday’s artwork is archived. This museum is no longer contemporary in the sense of the word used by Emergency Room but will be delayed (“retard” in French). This “delay” of opinions, where past reactive interpretations are preserved, is a critical way of thinking about contemporary art even though it is still extremely contemporary compared to the customary use of the word. The Delay Museum is a place for studying the aesthetics of the emergency.
The fast moving Emergency Room is kept under constant observation in order to document events and changes in artistic aesthetics. Documentation is both external in the form of media stories and internal in the form of blogs, webcasting and artist interviews collected by the ER Staff for use in future ER Publications. The documentation ensures a constant high level of activity, people engagement and inclusion. Emergency Room is a carefully prepared environment for hectic bursts of creation.

Spirit

Passage, Accentuation, and Actuality are three core concepts for Emergency Room. Passage describes a movement, an action, and a transition face that holds a vast potential because everything is still open. The accentuation describes the capability to focus and point out – it is a disciplined gesture that pins down a time and space for the comment as an event. The actuality of the accentuation harbours the necessity of presence and contemporality.

Emergency Room contributing artists 2006 - present

- Thierry Geoffroy (( ER Copenhagen / ER Berlin / ER New York / ER Athens / ER Paris / ER Napoli / ER Hanoi / ER Wroclav ) - Jens Haaning ( ER New York ) - John Kørner ( ER Paris ) - Baptiste Debombourg (ER Paris / ER Napoli) - Stéphane Couturier ( ER Paris ) - Roberto Paci Dalo ( ER Napoli) - Eric Baudelaire / Kieu Nguyen Dong ( ER Paris ) - Mike Estabrook ( ER New York ) - Henrik Schrat ( ER Berlin / ER Copenhagen ) - Sebastiano Deva ( ER Napoli) - Antje Majewski ( ER Berlin ) - Niels Bonde ( ER New York / ER Hanoi ) - Tanja Ostojic ( ER Berlin ) - Joachim Hamou ( ER Copenhagen ) - Frans Jacobi ( ER Berlin ) - Lasse Lau ( ER New York/ ER Athens ) - Malene Landgreen ( ER Copenhagen - Jeanne Susplugas ( ER Berlin ) - David Keating ( ER Berlin ) - Joseph Dadoune /(ER Paris ) - Peter Lind ( ER Copenhagen / ER Berlin / ER New York / ER Athens / ER Napoli / ER Hanoi / ER Wroclav ) - Søren Dahlgaard ( ER Copenhagen / ER New York / ER Paris / ER Napoli / ER Hanoi ) - Berit Heggenhougen Jensen ( ER Paris ) - Al Masson ( ER New York ) - Unwetter collectif ( ER Berlin ) - Danilo Correale ( ER Napoli) - Roxy Inthebox ( ER Napoli) - Eugenio Tibaldi ( ER Napoli) - Sebastiano Deva ( ER Napoli) - Frank Franzen ( ER New York / ER Berlin / ER Copenhagen / ER Athens / ER Paris ) - Guillaume Dimanche ( ER Paris/ ER Napoli / ER Wroclav) - David Marin ( ER Paris/ ER Napoli / ER Wroclav ) - Fatima Ramadan ( ER Paris ) - Melina Pena (ER Paris/ ER Napoli) - Christofilogiannis Dionisis( ER Athens/ER Paris/ ER Napoli / ER Wroclav ) - Ivan Argote (ER Paris/ ER Napoli ) - Pauline Bastard (ER Paris/ ER Napoli ) - Emeric Lhuisset¨(ER Paris/ ER Napoli ) - Kim Lien Desault /(ER Paris/ ER Napoli ) - Eva Mittala (ER Athens //(ER Paris ) - Susanne Schuricht ( ER New York / ER Berlin/ ER Napoli ) - Sophie Hjerl (( ER New York / ER Copenhagen/ ER Athens/ ER Napoli / ER Wroclav ) - Nadia Plesner ( ER Paris/ ER Napoli / ER Wroclav) - Peter Ravn ( ER Napoli/ / ER Hanoi / ER Wroclav ) - Victor Ash ( ER New York / ER Berlin / ER Copenhagen ) - Kristian von Hornsleth ( ER Paris ) - Maria Zervou ( ER Athens/(ER Paris ) ) - Jean de Piepape ( ER New York / ER Paris ) - Christian Finne ( ER Copenhagen ) - Vandana Jain ( ER New York ) - Amy Kao ( ER New York) - Michael Jeppesen ( ER Paris ) - Camille Goujon ( ER Paris ) - Catherine Ursin ( ER Paris ) - Arnaud Cohen ( ER Paris ) - Anthony Peskine (ER Paris ) - Steven Day ( ER New York/ ER Athens/ ER Paris ) ) - Antoine Miserey /(ER Paris ) - Valerie Frossard /(ER Paris / ER Wroclav ) - Philippe Pasquet /(ER Paris ) - Andrea Inocencio/Melina Pena / Valeria Cotaimich /(ER Paris ) - Amandine Casadamont &Violaine Ballet (ER Paris ) - Chloé Nicosia ( ER Paris ) - Jean Christophe Hanché ( ER Paris ) - Loren ( ER Paris ) - Karin Kal ( ER Paris ) - Sandra Schmalz ( ER Paris ) - Alain Potignon ( ER Paris ) - Arnaud Bergeret ( ER Paris ) - Zhenzen Liu ( ER Paris ) - Manuel Lagoa ( ER Paris ) - Anne Sophie Norman ( ER Paris ) - Marie Kølbæk ( ER New York/ ER Athens ) - Jaishri Abichandani ( ER New York ) - Mac Premo ( ER New York ) - Gail Rothschild ( ER New York ) - Toby Barnes ( ER New York ) - Bill Beirne ( ER New York ) - Charley Friedman ( ER New York ) - Nancy Friedemann ( ER New York ) - Caroline Lund ( ER New York / ER Berlin ) - Thorbjørn Reuter Christiansen ( ER Berlin ) - David Puchkin ( ER New York/ ER Athens ) - Seth ( ( ER New York / ER Berlin / ER Copenhagen ) - Copyflex ( ER Copenhagen ) - Marc Aschenbrenner ( ER Berlin ) - Lars Tinghøj Vilhelmsen ( ER Berlin / ER Copenhagen ) - Vassiliea Stylianidou (ER Berlin ) - Dietmar Fleischer ( ER Berlin ) - Christian Blau ( ER New York / ER Berlin ) - Tina Schimensky ( ER Berlin ) - Szacva y Pál ( ER Berlin ) - Gunda Förster ( ER Berlin ) - Eleonore de Montesquiou ( ER Berlinhagen ) - Eva Räder ( ER Berlin ) - M+M (Marc Weis, Martin De Mattia) ( ER Berlin ) - Hanneskater ( ER Berlin ) - MaraM (Mara Maglione ) ( ER Napoli) - Marinella Senatore ( ER Napoli) - Gulia Piscitelli ( ER Napoli) - Raffaela Mariniello ( ER Napoli) - Siw Amina Bech ( ER Napoli) - Domenico Antonio Mancini ( ER Napoli) - Daniela Politelli ( ER Napoli) - Corrado Folinea ( ER Napoli) - Stanislao Di Giugno ( ER Napoli) - Salvatore Manzi ( ER Napoli) - Walter Picardi ( ER Napoli) - Helidon Gjergji ( ER Napoli) - Rosy Rox ( ER Napoli) - Ciro Vitale ( ER Napoli) - Anna Fusco ( ER Napoli) - Maria Adele Del Vecchio ( ER Napoli) - Rosaria Iazzetta ( ER Napoli / ER Wroclav ) - Celesta Bufano ( ER Napoli) - Giulio Delvè ( ER Napoli) - Melita Rotondo ( ER Napoli) - IABO ( ER Napoli) - Diego Valentino( ER Napoli) - Andrea Nacciarriti ( ER Napoli) - Anja Irmela Puntari ( ER Napoli) - Thorbjørn Bechmann ( ER Napoli) - Raffaella Crispino ( ER Napoli) - Christian Costa ( ER Napoli / ER Wroclav ) - Enzo Calibè ( ER Napoli) - Federico Maddalozzo ( ER Napoli) - Valentina Miorandi ( ER Napoli) - Carla Viparelli ( ER Napoli) - Pietro Ruffo ( ER Napoli) - Maurizio Savini ( ER Napoli) - Angelo Ferrillo ( ER Napoli) - Salvatore Sparavigna ( ER Napoli) - Orazio Aiello ( ER Napoli) - Marco Petrucci ( ER Napoli) - Marco Zezza ( ER Napoli) - Vincenzo Rusciano ( ER Napoli) - Francesco Rapacciuolo ( ER Napoli) - 2/4our ( ER Napoli) - Benny Chirco( ER Napoli) - Giovanni De Angelis ( ER Napoli) - Marta Orlando ( ER Napoli) - Anna Maria Pugliese ( ER Napoli) - Le Tran Hau Anh / ER Hanoi - Luu Chi Hieu / ER / ER Hanoi - Mr Tran Hau Yen The / ER Hanoi - Mr Tran Hoang Son / ER Hanoi - Mr Le Lang Luong / ER Hanoi - Ms Mai Thu Van / ER Hanoi - Ms Nguyen My Ngoc / ER Hanoi - Mr Ngo Xuan Phu / ER Hanoi - Mr Nguyen Hai Thanh / ER Hanoi - Mr Nguyen Mai Ky / ER Hanoi - Mr Nguyen Na Son / ER Hanoi - Ms Nguyen Thanh Hai / ER Hanoi - Mr Nguyen Viet Hung / ER Hanoi - Mr Vu Duc Trung / ER Hanoi - Ms Le Dung / ER Hanoi - Ms Tran Thi Huong / ER Hanoi - Mr Vu Hong Ninh / ER Hanoi - Ingen Frygt (Anna María Helgadóttir, Hannah Heilmann and Sigrún Gudbrandsdóttir) / ER Hanoi - Aagard Hilde ( ER Athens ) - Apostolakis Christos( ER Athens ) - Baboulis Dimitris( ER Athens ) - Bassanos Kostas ( ER Athens ) - Beveratos Costas ( ER Athens ) - Christidi Katerina ( ER Athens ) - Dimitropoulou Marta ( ER Athens ) - Dokatzis Dimitris( ER Athens ) - Efthis Pathsourakis( ER Athens ) - Foutris Dimitris ( ER Athens ) - Ioannou Dimitris( ER Athens ) - Ikonomopoulou Maria    ( ER Athens ) - Katsouri Kali ( ER Athens ) - Kotsoni Eleni ( ER Athens ) - Mantzios Nikos ( ER Athens ) - Michalakakou Maro  ( ER Athens ) - Michalaki Eva ( ER Athens ) - Moris Petros ( ER Athens ) - Nalbantidou Lia( ER Athens ) - Nikolakopoulos Pavlos ( ER Athens ) - Palaska Aliki ( ER Athens ) - Pittas Antonis( ER Athens ) - Taxiarchopoulos Yiorgos ( ER Athens ) - Stokou Despina( ER Athens ) - Theodorides Philippos ( ER Athens ) - Theodoropoulos Giannis ( ER Athens ) - Tsoublekas Dimitris ( ER Athens ) - Zacharias Michalis ( ER Athens ) > - Zervou Maria( ER Athens ) - Vamiali Dimitra( ER Athens ) - Veneri Erifyli( ER Athens ) - Kosmas Nikolaou ( ER Athens ) - Tereza Papamichali( ER Athens ) - Tomasz Bajer ( ER Wroclav ) - Wojciech Duda ( ER Wroclav ) - Rafał Jakubowicz ( ER Wroclav ) - Piotr Kmita ( ER Wroclav ) - Marcin Mierzicki ( ER Wroclav ) - Dorota Nieznalska ( ER Wroclav ) - Tomasz Opania ( ER Wroclav ) - Kama Sokolnicka ( ER Wroclav )

The format has been activated in:

- New York : PS1 / MOMA (2007).

- Hanoi : University of Fine Arts (2009)

- European Culture Congress, Wroclav (2011)

- Naples : PAN - PALAZZO DELLE ARTI NAPOLI (2009)

- Athens : Ileana Tounta Contemporary Art Center (2007)

- Paris : Galerie Taiss (2008).

- Berlin : Galerie Olaf Stueber (2006) .

- Copenhagen : Kunsthallen Nikolaj ( 2006).

External links

• Emergency Room at P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center, press release
• Format Emergency Room at MOMA / PS1 New York. Report from ABC News 2007
• Emergency Room Dictionary, published by Revolver Publishing
• "THIERRY GEOFFROY / AKA COLONEL: EMERGENCY ROOM DICTIONARY" by The Royal Danish Academy of Arts
• Format Emergency Room at MOMA / PS1 New York. Report from Reuters 2007 The art of news
• The Brian Lehrer Show "Where art and Journalism Collide" (mp3, WNYC) PS1/MoMA, New York, 2007
• Nikolaj Mangurten Lassen " Art =Retard " March 2007
• Live From N.Y., It's Yesterday's News By James Dewille Published February 21, 2007
• Format Emergency Room in Paris / Le remède à la morosité : EMERGENCY ROOM for Artnet 2008. By Cyril Thomas
• Format Emergency Room in Paris / Emergency Case. By Natalie Hegert, 2008
• Emergency Room - Galerie Taiss - Paris
• Format Emergency Room in Hanoi from Hanoi Times
• Format Emergency Room Napoli / Commune di Napoli
• Interview with Colonel on Kopenhagen.dk 2008
• http://www.kunsten.nu/artikler/artikel.php?thierry+Geoffroy+emergency+room
• Format Emergency Room Hanoi from 36pho TV news