Peter Weibel - Vertreibung der Vernunft
Restoration of the 1993 Venice Biennale installation by ZKM founding director. 14-monitor database installation with 5000 biographies.
Role: Technical reconstruction
About the Project
Vertreibung der Vernunft (Expulsion of Reason) is a computer-based video installation by Peter Weibel, the founding artistic director of ZKM, originally created for the 1993 Venice Biennale. The work consists of a 14-monitor system with a database containing over 5,000 biographies of Austrian forced emigrants and victims of the Nazi regime from the cultural sphere, presented inside a container installation.
Restoration
The technical reconstruction involved a complete rebuild for contemporary exhibition at ZKM — restoring the original database structure and display logic on modern hardware while preserving the visual appearance and interaction model of the original 1993 installation.
Significance
As a work by ZKM’s founding artistic director, this installation holds special significance in the institution’s history. The historical content — documenting the expulsion and persecution of Austrian cultural figures — gives the work ongoing relevance beyond its technical and artistic dimensions.