ST. GALLEN .- Sustainability, environmental and economic systems - these topics, which are not only relevant in light of the very current issue of climate change, are at the center of the works of the English artist Simon Starling. His idiosyncratic projects deal with cycles of use, the surprising transformations of everyday things, and the related ideological and aesthetic reevaluations.

The occasion for the exhibition in St. Gallen is an unusual art project by Starling that links Lake Constance with the city of St. Gallen. Entitled Fountain, this major public project redeploys original elements from the recently refurbished Broderbrunnen, a fountain located in the center of St. Gallen that was created by the sculptor August Bösch (1857–1911) in 1896 in memory of the establishment of a lake water supply system for the cantonal capital. Starling will produce selfcontained, climatecontrolled units that will allow these fragile historical sculptures to be put back on public display and in turn trace the path from the water source at Lake Constance to the heart of St. Gallen.

In recent years, works by Simon Starling, who was born in 1967 in Epsom, UK, and now lives in Copenhagen, have been shown in museums around the world. The exhibition Zum Brunnen (To the Fountain) at the Lokremise is his first solo show in Switzerland since his presentation at the Museum für Gegenwartskunst in Basel in 2005.

The work Autoxylopyrocycloboros exemplifies his artistic strategy. In 2006 Starling crossed Loch Long in a restored boat pulled up from the depths of the lake, powered by a steam engine. The boat, christened “Dignity,” served as both a vehicle and its own fuel. Gradually the wooden boards were burned in order to power the engine, until the boat ultimately sprung a leak and sank back into the lake. Curator: Konrad Bitterli