Urs Fischer
Here are two works by the artist Urs Fischer. “Bread House” is a Swiss chalet constructed entirely of loaves of bread and crumbs. Over the course of its exhibition, the house rots, decays, and crumbles to bits in front of throngs of museum-goers. This piece has been presented as representative of the slow (but ever quickening) decay of our planet and has also been said to reference the body of Christ.
In another Urs Fischer piece, entitled “You”, he excavates the floor of the main room of a gallery, exposing an 8 foot deep hole. Visitors to the gallery were permitted to interact with the pit in whatever fashion they chose at their own risk. Some climbed down into the pit and stood amongst the dirt and rubble. Others peered down into the pit from the sides. “You” has been linked to earth works from the 60’s and 70’s, massive earth sculptures reminiscent of ancient pagan sites. At any rate, this piece seems to present a visual for the question, “Well, what if we directly go back to the source, shocking people and reminding them of what lies beneath the grand constructions?”.