March 07, 2005
Bureau d'études
The French idiom bureau d'études loosely translates as "technical research organization," "engineering firm," or "design consultancy." The Paris-based team Bureau d'études officially formed in 2000, but had already in the late 1990s begun producing cartogrammes (their signature graphic diagrammatic charts that illustrate vast networks existing between international government agencies, corporate and financial firms, and industry).
With an astute understanding of contemporary cultural theory, these formerly studio-based artists engage in research, publication, and political activism. Fastidiously mapping out the terrain of veiled mechanisms that steer international politics and the world market (and which ultimately control global society), they make the invisible visible. Through their actions, lectures, installations, and website, Bureau d'études offers this information with the belief that a truly free society is an informed one.
For Downtime the group delves into the history of San Francisco's Bohemian Club (which originated in the 19th century as a haven for San Francisco's artists, poets, and intellectuals) and traces its connections to Bohemian Grove, a high-security, 2,700-acre private retreat for its elite members. Every summer brings a large contingent of high-ranking politicians, government officials, and world leaders for a stay in this remote, picturesque woodland in Northern California. Comprising graphic charts, printed material, and video footage, this commissioned multimedia installation is the first public showing of Bureau d'études's work on the West Coast.
Bureau d'études is in the habit of gesturing outside the gallery space and beyond the art system. The collective embraces collaboration and has worked on several projects with individuals and affiliate organizations such as the Université Tangente and Syndicat Potential, both based in Paris. Their work has been included in numerous solo and group exhibitions throughout Europe and in New York, including Utopia Station at the 50th Venice Biennale; The Future of the Reciprocal Readymade (the use-value of art), apexart, New York (2004); and Collaborative Practice, Tate Modern, London (2003). In 2006 Bureau d'études will participate in the exhibition Headquarters: Intervention in Social Space at the Contemporary Museum, Baltimore.
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