During the residencyperiod in Birmingham in 2008 I worked on the ongoing project 'Theatrum orbis Terrarum' and developed ideas for the project LUNÄ realised in 2011.
The Lunar Society’s members* have been called the fathers of the Industrial Revolution. The importance of this particular Society stems from its pioneering work in experimental chemistry, physics, engineering, and medicine, combined with leadership in manufacturing and commerce, and with political and social ideals. Its members were brilliant representatives of the informal scientific web which cut across class, blending the inherited skills of craftsmen with the theoretical advances of scholars, a key factor in Britain's leap ahead of the rest of Europe. – Jenny Uglow
LUNÄ (2011) arises out of Dijkman’s ongoing fascination with the eighteenth century Enlightenment. Also known as the Age of Reason, the Enlightenment stressed the importance of rationality and science and so challenged long standing institutions and traditional values. Faith in logic and technology led to belief in the possibility of progress and mankind’s ability to conquer nature. The framework for Western thought and culture as we know it today was largely developed during this period and Dijkman’s frequent references to it convey her overarching interest in why we think and behave the way we do. LUNÄ is a facsimile of the original table around which an influential group of industrialists and thinkers known as the Lunar Society would meet each month in Birmingham. Members included James Watt, Josiah Wedgewood, Matthew Boulton, Joseph Priestley and Erasmus Darwin and they forged strong links with Bristol based contemporaries including Samuel Taylor Coleridge and Thomas Beddoes.
Dijkman’s flat pack version of their grand dining table is typical of the artist’s wry humour, collapsing the optimistically progressive value systems that were enthusiastically promoted during the Enlightenment into the mass production and globalised retail environment that can be seen as their legacy today. The table, commissioned for this exhibition, will travel with the artist and be used for an ongoing series of discussions updating topics that occupied the Lunar Men.
LUNÄ is a replica of the Lunar table in the Soho house combined with a set of eight IKEA chairs. The work appropriates the local history and invited the audience to actively participate in rethinking ideas of the Lunar society, reflect on their roles and the effects of their ideas and encourages people to think more experimentally towards the future. Besides a whole range of different organised discussions and events, visitors are encouraged to have their own ‘Lunar’ meetings around LUNÄ.
See for more information on the programming of the talks: LUNÄ
* members: Matthew Boulton, Erasmus Darwin, Thomas Day, Richard Lovell Edgeworth, Samuel Galton, Jr., James Keir, Joseph Priestley, William Small, Jonathan Stokes, James Watt, Josiah Wedgwood, John Whitehurst and William Withering.
Theatrum orbis Terrarum
Taking inspiration from Ortelius’ Theatrum orbis Terrarum (Theatre of the World), the first modern atlas, it is my aim to gain an insight into the way in which the world is organised. Not by means of abstract maps and purely geographical data, but by arranging photographic registrations of the world according to personal criteria.
In 2011 together with IKON gallery in Birmingham and Spike Island in Bristol we published:
Theatrum Orbis Terrarum, (2011)
Published by Marjolijn Dijkman, IKON Gallery Birmingham and Spike island Bristol. Designed by Julie Peeters and Joris Kritis. Made possible with the support of The Fonds BKVB and the Centre for Visual Arts Rotterdam.
Edition: Paperback, full colour illustrations, 144 pages, W230mm x H330mm
ISBN: 978-0-9560856-5-8