Vermeir & Heiremans focus on the dynamics between art, architecture and economy. They define their own home as an artwork and create ‘mediated extensions’ that add a public hyper-visibility to their private space. The ART HOUSE INDEX (AHI–) is one such extension.
The value of the ART HOUSE INDEX lies in its potential to convert an opaque, static and difficult product into a transparent, 'liquid' and accessible investment. In a publicity video, Vermeir & Heiremans' art house unfolded to reveal many virtual houses. A real-time algorithm continuously calculated the value of AHI- , based on tools that measure confidence and belief.
The video alternated between two timelines: one showed the 'finished' product while the other demystified 'creation' within the artistic process. A commentary elucidated the roles of the filmmaker, the public and the wider economic context.
The worlds of high finance and global art markets – both belief systems – formed the context for the narrative of MASQUERADE. A fragmented environment gradually evolved from the white cube of a gallery to an auction house, commodity exchange, courtroom, etc. : places where values are negotiated and exchanged. A report on AHI-'s initial public offering transformed into an abstract landscape of opinions and tastes.
The installation included In-Residence Magazine # 02, an art and lifestyle magazine that provides background information on the concept of "value" in the worlds of finance and contemporary art.
Vermeir & Heiremans
Katleen Vermeir (b. 1973, Bornem, BE) and Ronny Heiremans (b. 1962, Heist-op-den-Berg, BE) have collaborated as Vermeir & Heiremans since 2006, when they initiated the long-term project A.I.R. They define their own home as an artwork within the concept of architecture that it renders space as constructions for the projections of consumer desires.