The Residence, foto Kristien Daem
In 2006 Katleen Vermeir and Ronny Heiremans initiated A.I.R ('artist in residence'), a long-term collaborative practice that encapsulates different projects, in which they render architecture as a space of constructs for the projection of consumer desires. Their latest output, commissioned by the Arnolfini in Bristol, was The Good Life (2009), a meditation on the inextricable relationship between art, real estate, art institutions and the wider structure of the economy, harnessed today by the 'creative class'.
During a 6-month residency in China (2009-10) Vermeir & Heiremans started working on The Residence. The project positions the artist as creative entrepreneur against a globalized backdrop that qualifies economy as the ultimate measure of things. Sharing insights on the creative garden concept, Vermeir & Heiremans initiated a collaboration with Ma Wen, a Chinese artist/architect. The project is a document on Ma Wen’s cultural practice. Through him The Residence explores the economic fetishism and financial mechanisms that play in contexts of urban development projects.