Julia Scher Ameratherm Microwave #2 (Harmonization), 2000/2022
45,7 x 63 x 70 cm
Ameratherm Microwave #2 (Harmonization) belongs to a series of sculptural works – pink microwaves – by Julia Scher. This particular work is the second iteration in the series. The full series was first presented in the solo exhibition titled Ameratherm at Andrea Rosen Gallery, New York, in 2000. Not all the works from the 2000 exhibition were preserved to today.
The work consists of a microwave-shaped MDF casing painted in Scher’s signature pink color and mounted on a wall at approx. two-meters high. The casing is lit from the inside and houses miscellaneous electronic components: a functioning camera, a VHS player, a monitor, audio speakers and cabling. The right side of the casing has two columns of lit buttons with designations made up by the artist: 'data cream' or 'target-penetration depth.' When exhibited, the camera is turned on, tilted slightly downwards, and transmitting the live feed to the LED display. As such, observers might see themselves on the screen. The live-feed of the camera is intersected with a 'fake live-feed' video footage at specific time intervals, controlled by a video switcher. Originally filmed in VHS, the footage shows various objects inside a microwave oven: marshmallows, a pair of bananas and plastic dolls. The objects slowly melt and lose their shape as they continuously rotate on a microwave’s disk.