As Soon As Possible - Time and Social Acceleration 14 May – 18 July 2010

The exhibition entitled “As Soon As Possible – Time and Social Acceleration” explores the theme of time in our so-called "high-speed society", a lifestyle characterised by rapid communications and production methods dictated by new technologies with which everyone has no choice but to relate and to react in today's world. Increased human mobility worldwide, constant bombardment by information, the ongoing flow of communications, and constant availability are all phenomena that are forcing individuals to cope with growing acceleration even in their personal lives, developing such trends as speed dating (in their love lives), power naps (for physical regeneration), quality time (to spend with their families) and fast food. Obsession with speed and acceleration in manufacturing has been with us since the start of the industrial era, as part of the very concept of modernity, and to artistic movements such as Futurism and Constructivism, which underpinned much of 20th century art. Acceleration and speed are now preconditions for a hyper-fast society that is increasingly globalised - a society whose dangerousness Paul Virilio highlighted by underscoring the paradoxical effect of human immobility, which has reached a point of cultural and imaginative sclerosis, submerged as it is beneath new and ever faster technological tools. Systematizing these positions, German philosopher Hartmut Rosa went as far as to speak of "social acceleration", a phenomenon which distinguishes the contemporary Western world and which has triggered a radical change in the structure of our idea of time. The equation "time is money" has become the prime mover of the economy, demanding the compression of timeframes and the maximisation of increasingly innovative and creative production processes. The project for the exhibition comprises work by Italian and international artists such as Datenstrudel (DE), Marnix de Nijs (NL), Reynold Reynolds (USA), Jens Risch (DE), Michael Sailstorfer (DE) and Arcangelo Sassolino (IT). The works of art all express the passage of time in different ways. Selected on the basis of their different approaches, the work of these artists maps out an artistic journey that will involve the public in strong and unusual experiences both in space and in time, highlighting the tensions and inconsistencies in our ultrarapid society.