The vernissage of the exhibition “77.000 GENERATIONS. Berta says: We need a new conception of man” by the artists and BCSSS friends MUELLER-DIVJAKwas opened on January 17 and received with enthusiasm by the audience and the press.

The magazine “NEUE Vorarlberger Tageszeitung” writes: “The scientific approach to our world is based on General Systems Theory, that is the center piece especially in the attic of the house and presented with a humorous twist.”

Exhibits include the visitors actively and draw them into the world of systems science by experiences that engage all the senses: A walking meditation welcomes guests into the Künstlerhaus and allows them to remove themselves for a while from the hectic life outside the entrance door. It is inspired by Jeanette Müller’s experiences in Southeast Asia, where Müller and Divjak live part of the year.

Jeanette Müller and Paul Divjak on the meditation walk

This intuitive and organic approach to a complex topic is also emphasized by MUELLER-DIVJAK in their radio interview with the Austrian national station Ö1. They argue that systems are often created by society in a linear fashion, which make them hard to change: “… people often do not understand that sytems are built upon ideas and convictions that had been true once, but that are no longer adequate for the present situation. Many systems continue to operate based on the outdated ideologies and world views, with which they were once constructed”, says Jeanette Müller. Paul Divjak observes that these are “systems that we belief to be natural laws”. However, it is clear that societal systems have been built by people, and thus can be changed by people as well.

The installation ‘contact intellectuality’ communicates another key idea by the artists: Each individual is part of a whole, and this whole is more than the sum of its parts. This is part of MUELLER-DIVJAK’s efforts to open up the conceptions that humans have about the impact that they have in their environment. This is highly relevant at a time of global crises, and an encouragement to actively contribute to a world that allows the next 77.000 Generations to live a good life as well. As the ‘Vorarlberger Nachrichten’ observes, “In this scenario, that is not apocalyptic at all, but instead poetic and full of music and finely composed scents, MUELLER-DIVJAK offer new paths for thinking and acting.”

All words must fail in describing such a playful and interactive exhibition. Therefore, we warmly invite you to enjoy this experience firsthand at the Künstlerhaus Bregenz in Austria. The exhibtion still runs until March 1, 2020 and features special events such as conversational dinners to discover the exhibits together, as well as guided tours by MUELLER-DIVJAK on February 7 and 27, 4pm.

Press coverage is collected below and updated upon being published: