Technical Paradise

An installation with 50 apple trees at the German Pavilion, Venice, Italy, 2008

Ton Matton

www.mattonoffice.com

The desire to return to a paradisiacal condition is as old as humankind itself. To that end, architects are increasingly creating artistic paradises, often in the most inhospitable places. The construction and maintenance of these paradises is attended by immense resource consumption and a worsening of the climate situation. This, in turn, leads to the construction of ever-more artificial paradises for the global elite. With his installation of 50 apple trees and associated facilities, Ton Matton poses the question of how things will go on in the future: Will the elites create technical paradises that strengthen disparities, or will we realize that our only hope is the creation of a global equilibrium?

 


Photo © Benjamin Kasten


Photo © Mario Ermoli