International Space Station Assembly
A Collective Construction Site

In her works, Mariana Castillo Deball maps out areas of action and memories as well as object worlds that all display a specific historical and cultural context. During her research, the artist looks for institutions that house collections, classifications, catalogues and (re-)presentations of cultural assets, such as libraries, museums and archives, and which represent a symbolic classification of the world. After the process of collecting and selecting information, she often creates site-specific installations, objects, photographs, video and audio-works, that feature a fictional background story. Castillo Deball not only consciously uses scientific methods such as collecting, evaluating, selecting, but also theoretical writing. The artist finds a media transfer for these processes whilst checking the conventions and standards of the museum's presentation and its archive management. In terms of content, the spectrum of visual and narrative examinations covers many different fields, such as archaeology, anarchy, ethnology, the musealization, display conventions within museums, philosophy and the history of technics. Alongside this approach, the artist also shows a special interest in collaborations with other cultural producers. These often result in performances, book projects or installations.