Rafaël Rozendaal hits London with a rare new show and we're super excited

Date
3 September 2012

Whenever Rafaël Rozendaal produces a new piece of work, digital communications channels the world over light up with chatter about what it is, what it means, how freaking awesome he is and how he’s the most important artist of his generation. If you’re not familiar with Rafaël’s work yet then take the time to acquaint yourself here, here and here. He’s arguably one of our favourite artists and we’ve been pretty enamoured of his boundary-pushing work from the get-go.

So believe us when we say we’re breathless with excitement at the prospect of seeing Rafaël’s new work up-close and personal, right round the corner from where we’re sat each day. The Composing Rooms in Bethnal Green will be showcasing the artist’s Popular Screen Sizes, an exploration of contemporary lifestyles “and the extent to which these involve our interface with screens.”

One work you’ll be able to interact with is openthiswindow.com, a variably sized digital window that offers viewers a modicum of escapism from wherever they, and their computer, might be. The interactive site is equipped with a single usable feature, an opening window, allowing you to decide whether to let babbling brook and twittering bird sounds loose on your desktop or just keep the damned thing closed so you can stare out of it longingly. As a reflection of how we live our lives it’s pretty spot on (how many times a day do you stare wistfully from your desk at the unattainable sunshine outside?) and we’re suckers for anything as simple and witty as this.

Take our word for it, Mr Rozendaal is the artistic voice of our generation, and you’ll definitely feel better for adding some of his work to your day.

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Rafaël Rozendaal: openthiswindow.com

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Rafaël Rozendaal: openthiswindow.com

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About the Author

James Cartwright

James started out as an intern in 2011 and came back in summer of 2012 to work online and latterly as Print Editor, before leaving in May 2015.

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