Superfiction
Encyclopedia
A Superfiction is a visual or conceptual artwork which uses fiction and appropriation to mirror organizations, business structures, and/or the lives of invented individuals (Hill). The term was coined by Glasgow
-born artist Peter Hill in 1989. Often superfictions are subversive cultural events in which the artwork can be said to escape from the picture frame or in which a narrative can be said to escape from the pages of the novel into three-dimensional reality. While this may involve a moment of deception regarding the origin, background and context of the presentation, or the veracity of claimed facts, deceit is only a method, intended to condition the observer's perception in a certain way, and it is not the ultimate goal of this artistic practice. Superfictions explore the interaction between the observer's concepts and the actual "objective" evidence that is presented; this is fundamentally analogous to e.g. arranging lines on a two-dimensional sheet to create a perspective illusion, even though the actual works of superfiction often are perceived to push the boundaries of what is considered to be "art".
and Associated Press
and a range of magazines, newspapers, museums, critics and specialist journals. The German
Wolkenkratzer magazine believed the museum to be real and printed a story about it. As a result its editor, Dr Wolfgang Max Faust was asked to chair a meeting of German curators and industrialists to see if Frankfurt
could build an even bigger multi-disciplinary museum than The Museum of Contemporary Ideas.
The characters within the Museum of Contemporary Ideas were later "turned" into another Superfiction called The Art Fair Murders and traces of both were exhibited in the 2002 Biennale of Sydney, (The World May Be) Fantastic, curated by Richard Grayson
.
With its "Encyclopedia of Superfictions", Hill's Web site is something of an information hub on methodically related artworks.
Probably the first curated exhibition of superfictions was "For Real Now" (De Achterstraat Fondation, Hoorn, Netherlands) in 1990 http://www.superfictions.com/encyc/entries/for.html.
adaptation of H. G. Wells
'
The War Of The Worlds
which was broadcast in the style of a breaking-news report in October 1938, and lead many to believe in an ongoing Martian invasion despite a broadcast disclaimer.
Another example are the "snouters" Nasobēm (or Rhinogradentia
), an order of animals invented by the German poet Christian Morgenstern
in 1905 and then introduced into scholarly publication by the (fictitious) naturalist Prof. Harald Stümpke (1957).
BabyFace by Eve-Anne O'Regan
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
-born artist Peter Hill in 1989. Often superfictions are subversive cultural events in which the artwork can be said to escape from the picture frame or in which a narrative can be said to escape from the pages of the novel into three-dimensional reality. While this may involve a moment of deception regarding the origin, background and context of the presentation, or the veracity of claimed facts, deceit is only a method, intended to condition the observer's perception in a certain way, and it is not the ultimate goal of this artistic practice. Superfictions explore the interaction between the observer's concepts and the actual "objective" evidence that is presented; this is fundamentally analogous to e.g. arranging lines on a two-dimensional sheet to create a perspective illusion, even though the actual works of superfiction often are perceived to push the boundaries of what is considered to be "art".
The Museum of Contemporary Ideas
In 1989 Peter Hill created his fictive Museum of Contemporary Ideas on New York's Park Avenue, complete with its billionaire benefactors, Alice and Abner "Bucky" Cameron who supposedly made their fortune from the Cameron Oil Fields in Alaska. Press releases were sent around the world to news agencies such as ReutersReuters
Reuters is a news agency headquartered in New York City. Until 2008 the Reuters news agency formed part of a British independent company, Reuters Group plc, which was also a provider of financial market data...
and Associated Press
Associated Press
The Associated Press is an American news agency. The AP is a cooperative owned by its contributing newspapers, radio and television stations in the United States, which both contribute stories to the AP and use material written by its staff journalists...
and a range of magazines, newspapers, museums, critics and specialist journals. The German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
Wolkenkratzer magazine believed the museum to be real and printed a story about it. As a result its editor, Dr Wolfgang Max Faust was asked to chair a meeting of German curators and industrialists to see if Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
could build an even bigger multi-disciplinary museum than The Museum of Contemporary Ideas.
The characters within the Museum of Contemporary Ideas were later "turned" into another Superfiction called The Art Fair Murders and traces of both were exhibited in the 2002 Biennale of Sydney, (The World May Be) Fantastic, curated by Richard Grayson
Richard Grayson (artist, writer, curator)
Richard Grayson is British artist, writer and curator.His art practice encompasses installation, video, painting and performance.His work investigates ways that narratives shape our understandings of the world....
.
With its "Encyclopedia of Superfictions", Hill's Web site is something of an information hub on methodically related artworks.
Probably the first curated exhibition of superfictions was "For Real Now" (De Achterstraat Fondation, Hoorn, Netherlands) in 1990 http://www.superfictions.com/encyc/entries/for.html.
Roots and precedents
The practice of intentionally blurring the boundaries between fiction and fact has many precedents. Perhaps the best known of these is Orson Welles'Orson Welles
George Orson Welles , best known as Orson Welles, was an American film director, actor, theatre director, screenwriter, and producer, who worked extensively in film, theatre, television and radio...
adaptation of H. G. Wells
H. G. Wells
Herbert George Wells was an English author, now best known for his work in the science fiction genre. He was also a prolific writer in many other genres, including contemporary novels, history, politics and social commentary, even writing text books and rules for war games...
'
The War Of The Worlds
The War of the Worlds (radio)
The War of the Worlds was an episode of the American radio drama anthology series Mercury Theatre on the Air. It was performed as a Halloween episode of the series on October 30, 1938, and aired over the Columbia Broadcasting System radio network. Directed and narrated by actor and future filmmaker...
which was broadcast in the style of a breaking-news report in October 1938, and lead many to believe in an ongoing Martian invasion despite a broadcast disclaimer.
Another example are the "snouters" Nasobēm (or Rhinogradentia
Rhinogradentia
The Rhinogradentia are a fictitious mammal order documented by the equally fictitious German naturalist Harald Stümpke...
), an order of animals invented by the German poet Christian Morgenstern
Christian Morgenstern
Christian Otto Josef Wolfgang Morgenstern was a German author and poet from Munich. Morgenstern married Margareta Gosebruch von Liechtenstern on March 7, 1910...
in 1905 and then introduced into scholarly publication by the (fictitious) naturalist Prof. Harald Stümpke (1957).
Practice
Artists employing superfictions as a focus or significant part of their practice include:BabyFace by Eve-Anne O'Regan
- Kay BurnsKay BurnsKay Burns is a Canadian artist based in Calgary, Alberta working with audio, video, computer/electronics, installation and performance art; she is also a freelance curator and writer.Burns’ work often involves research and experimentation with New Media...
- performative lectures as the fictitious researcher/ethnographer Iris Taylor - Janet CardiffJanet CardiffJanet Cardiff is a Canadian installation artist. Born in Brussels, Ontario in 1957 Cardiff studied at Queen's University where she graduated in 1980. She also studied at the University of Alberta and graduated in 1983. She works in collaboration with her partner George Bures Miller. Cardiff and...
- many audio-walks that superimpose fiction and experience since the mid 1990s, Paradise Institute (2001) - Lyndell Brown and Charles Green - paintings of fictional worlds (since 1993)
- "et al." - e.g. The Fundamental Practice (2005)
- Joan FontcubertaJoan FontcubertaJoan Fontcuberta is a conceptual artist whose best-known works, such as Fauna and Sputnik, examine the truthfulness of photography. In addition, he is a writer, editor, teacher, and curator....
- e.g. Secret Fauna (since 1987) - Rodney Glick - e.g. The Glick International Collection (since 1989)
- Iris HäusslerIris HäusslerIris Häussler is a conceptual- and installation art artist of German origin. She lives in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Many of Iris Häussler's works are detailed, hyperrealistic installations that visitors can decode as narrative stories...
- many "fictitious memories", constructed living spaces of fictional personae (since 1989) - Peter Hill - Museum of Contemporary Ideas (since 1989)
- General IdeaGeneral IdeaGeneral Idea was a collective of three Canadian artists, Felix Partz, Jorge Zontal and AA Bronson, who were active from 1967 to 1994.As pioneers of early conceptual and media-based art, their collaboration became a model for artist-initiated activities and continues to be a prominent influence on...
- (1969 - 1994) - Res Ingold - e.g. Ingold Airlines (1982)
- The Museum of Jurassic Technology - founded by David Wilson in 1989
- Shelly Innocence - Shelly Innocence is a former supermodel, international athlete and in-store demonstrator marketing Happiness™, Integrity™ and other intangible products. 2005
- Martin KippenbergerMartin KippenbergerMartin Kippenberger was a German artist known for his extremely prolific output in a wide range of styles and media as well as his provocative, jocular and hard-drinking public persona....
- inventions of fictional artists in the 1980s, within a much broader oeuvre of painting - Le Chien Qui Fume - Michael Vale (2002 onwards) An historical satire that positions an icon of early 20th. century kitsch, the smoking dog, as an integral, but forgotten player in the history of Surrealism.
- The Leeds 13 - staging a fictional vacation paid for by real sponsor's and grants funds for their Leeds University Fine Arts Degree project (1999)
- Seymour Likely - a fictitious artist invented by Aldert Mantje, Ronald Hooft and Ido Vunderink
- The Museum of Jurassic Technology - founded by David Wilson in 1989
- Patrick Pound - e.g. The memory Room (2002)
- Walid RaadWalid RaadWalid Raad is a contemporary media artist. The Atlas Group is a fictional collective, the work of which is produced by Walid Raad....
's -Atlas Group Archives - Servaas - a fictional world of fish
- Jeff WassmannJeff WassmannJeff Wassmann is an American artist and writer, currently living in Melbourne, Australia. Wassmann's work incorporates assemblage, photography, web-based new media and aspects of culture jamming.- Early life :...
- an American-born artist who works in Australia under the nom de plume of the pioneering German modernist Johann Dieter WassmannJohann Dieter WassmannJohann Dieter Wassmann is a fictitious artist and sewerage engineer, purportedly from Leipzig, Germany. He is the creation of the American-born artist and writer Jeff Wassmann.-Background:...
(1841-1898). - Alexa Wright - photography, including the depiction of Phantom limbPhantom limbA phantom limb is the sensation that an amputated or missing limb is still attached to the body and is moving appropriately with other body parts. 2 out of 3 combat veterans report this feeling. Approximately 60 to 80% of individuals with an amputation experience phantom sensations in their...
s (After Image 1997) and other works that combine and superimpose visual artefact and documentation - Eve Andrée Laramée has exhibited works credited to Yves Fissialt, a fictional scientist with some elements based on the artist's father.
- IRFAK Fat to Food Recycling, Glocal Affairs 2008, Mieke Smits
- Eugene Parnell - e.g. Lost Naturalists of the Pacific (2005)