Gustav Metzger

GUSTAV METZGER:
He was a founder member of ‘Computer Arts’ part of The British Computer Society, First edition: vol.1 1969
He originated the movement “Auto Destructive Art” [ADA]
“Auto-destructive art is an attack on capitalist values and the drive to nuclear annihilation.”
In 1998, he had a one man show at MOMA Oxford consisting of models, photographs and video pieces.
www.t12artspace.com/metzger.html In January 2003, he had an installation in the East End of London, "100,000 Newspapers" a public-active installation, The exhibition took place in two adjoining spaces in the basement of an old building near Hawksmoor's Spitalfield church in East London. In the first space, massive piles of newspapers and magazines were scattered on the concrete floor. A forklift truck repeatedly picked up bales of papers, which then cascaded off the machine, mirroring the wasteful, repetitive, unproductive nature of most of the "work" in capitalist societies.
Visitors were encouraged to cut out articles and images: the cuttings, under headings such as GM foods, biotechnology, extinction, information overload, were then placed on panels displayed in the space. Tables and chairs were provided to facilitate this activity.
The next space presented a dramatic view of hundreds of decaying metal shelves in shafts sunk deep into the earth. These shelves were filled with newspapers. Viewers were able to move through this installation - a chaotic, sunken, library - and select newspapers for cutting and fixing next door.
The exhibition will be accompanied by an extensive series of talks, discussions and workshops expanding on the themes of this exhibition, whose central purpose is to introduce an aggressive, highly politicised aura into London's art world.