Haggerty Museum will display SOS Color Code, an indoor and outdoor installation created by Luftwerk through Dec. 21.
The Chicago-based artists, Petra Bachmaier and Sean Gallero, said they were excited to bring their installation to the Haggerty Museum after working on an exhibition with John Mckinnon, director of Haggerty, at the Elmhurst Art Museum in 2019.
Gallero said two aspects inspire the piece: the outdoor flags they designed in collaboration with Normal Studio, a multidisciplinary graphic design practice based in Chicago and the idea of color theory.
“We are playing with color theory and how you perceive color, and how the three dashes and three dots create this SOS signal which is a signal of stress, but also a signal of call and response signals,” Gallero said.
In addition to their 2019 exhibit, Luftwerk also worked on the SOS Color Code flag installation at the Elmhurst Art Museum with McKinnon, which is why he said he is excited to see the flags back.
“The flag installation is a total remount from an iteration we did in 2020, what you’re seeing at the Haggerty and the mural that is inside the museum is actually a new version, so we have never created this particular piece before,” Bachmaier said.
Luftwerk said they drew inspiration for this piece from the color theory of Johannes, a Swiss painter and designer as well as the practice of color-lighting.
“We were inspired by Itten and some of the comparative colors, but we also looked at color-lighting this and looked at compositing the colors like what colors mixed and what colors subtract and what colors add,” Gallero said.
In selecting SOS Color Code to be displayed at Haggerty, Mckinnon said he thought it would be the perfect way to attract audiences during the museum’s 40th anniversary.
“I feel very optimistic and energized and hopefully we can tell the story of the museum while we are reflecting back on these 40 years,” Mckinnon said.
Luftwerk also said they added a light component to the exhibit which shines in nine colors across Haggerty’s main floor wall.
“It’s a great symmetry where they have three pieces out there and three pieces in here and then both are dashes and dots for the morse code,” John Mckinnon, director of Haggerty Art Museum said.
This multi-visual artwork was originally displayed across 10 different art institutions throughout the U.S. in 2020 during the pandemic and election.
Bachmaier said they took the idea of sending out an SOS signal to reach other places and people during times of distress in the pandemic.
“With Normal we put together this idea of ‘Oh, we could do a flag installation that can easily ship to other places and can be mounted.’ It was really this kind of collaborative spirit between us and Normal,” Bachmaier said.
Not only was this exhibit significant during the pandemic and its launch on International Day of Democracy, but Luftwerk said they also wanted to symbolize the flag as a call for empowerment to vote geared toward Marquette students in the upcoming election.
“I think it’s really important for young people to feel empowered to voice their thoughts, concerns and opinions,” Bachmaier said.
After partnering with 10 institutions, Luftwerk said places such as the Pittsburg Mattress Factory, Minnesota Museum of American Art and The National Public Housing Museum showcased their exhibit in a call of solidarity.
“It’s all about a sense of unity, you have this universal language that can unite people in all various shapes and forms. It’s not about the identification of where or who you are, but the communication of there is a flag. If you are in distress, there’s a place to find solace and humanity in a way,” Gallero said.
Luftwerk said they are happy to highlight the exhibit as a universal art form for the Marquette campus.
“There is a lot that comes out of a project like this, which is very gratifying. And when you see there is an interaction between people and activities and a discourse that a project can trigger, it’s the most beautiful thing you can get out of any project,” Bachmaier said.
The Haggerty Museum will be hosting events related to this exhibit in partnership with Marquette Votes, Marquette Art Club and the Arrupe Center in the coming months.
This story was written by Mimi Sinotte. She can be reached at [email protected].
