miguel soares

Papel de Parede
curated by João Pinharanda

November, 1997
Centro de Arte de S. João da Madeira
S. João da Madeira, Portugal

exhibited works: Your Mission is a Failure video/installation

Marcamadeira 97
Galeria Monumental booth

August 21 > 27, 1997
Tecnopolo
Funchal, Madeira, Portugal

exhibited works: 2 images on lightboxes untitled (arrival), and untitled (mosquito), 1997

untitled (arrival), and untitled (mosquito)
2 images on lightboxes, 1997
Duratrans on lightbox, 30×40x16 cm each

Paisagem Económica Urbana
curated by Paulo Mendes

June 07 > July 12, 1997
Galeria Graça Fonseca
Lisbon, Portugal

exhibited works: Bebiguia (Drink’n'Drive) video/installation

Bebiguia (Drink’n’Drive)
1997, video projection, Martini Bianco, glass, olive

made for Paisagem Económica Urbana, Galeria Graça Fonseca, Lisbon

Rank Xerox project, for Promontório Arquitectos.
A building reacting to sound.
June 1997

Jamba

May 09 > 31, 1997
Sala do Veado, Museu Nacional de História Natural
Lisbon, Portugal

exhibited work: Heaven’s Gate

1997
variable dimentions

air extractors, satin, sneakers, 2 doors, motion detector , walkman, speakers, motorized projector (JBSystems Techno).
made for Jamba, Sala do Veado, Museu Nacional de História Natural, Lisbon

Heaven’s Gate 1997 Heaven’s Gate was made as a reaction to the mass suicide of the Heaven’s Gate cult members in the Santa Fe Ranch, San Diego, California, on March 26th, 1997.
The members believed they would take a ride on a spaceship that was coming right behind the passing-by Hale-Bopp comet. The spaceship would transport them into another planet.
The bodies were found with ready-to-go packed luggage. But what intrigued me was that all the corpses were covered with sheets of purple satin fabric, and were wearing the same model of Nike sneakers (the “Just do it!” brand).
In the Heaven’s Gate installation, I tried to re-create the moment in which the bodies are teleported to the spaceship. Two air extractors with motion detectors give the effect of disappearing bodies by inflating and de-inflating the two satin sheets. Due to the East Timor issues, Portugal was not importing “Made in Indonesia” products at the time, so I was not able to get the Nike sneakers. Instead, I bought two pairs made in the north of Portugal, that imitated Adidas (the stripes) and with a puma printed i n the back. Two light-gray doors (gates) were used as beds.

Heaven’s Gate cult, Santa Fe Ranch, San Diego. Dead cult members and an image found on the internet.

OTHER VERSIONS of Heaven’s Gate were made:
1998 >version 2 at Heaven’s Gate – Project Room, ARCO’98, Parque Ferial Juan Carlos I, Madrid
2001 > version 3 at 321m2, CAPC, Coimbra, Portugal

Bíblia #3
May, 1997
cover, graphic design, some images inside

Mediações – Inter@ctividades
Conferência Internacional sobre Tecnologias e Mediação – ICTM’97
curated by Isabel Carlos and Maria Teresa Cruz

March 28 > April 20, 1997
Palácio Galveias
Lisbon, Portugal

exhibited works: Your Mission is a Failure (ICTM97 edit)

Low Budget – Objectos do quotidiano
curated by Miguel Vieira Baptista

January 23 > May 15, 1997
Centro Cultural de Belém
Lisbon, Portugal

Artists and designers were asked to choose from daily-life cheap objects for their design.

untitled (Diksport sneakers)
The portuguese-made Diksport sneakers have the 3 stripes and the Puma running to the oposite direction, for a fraction of the price.

untitled (bag with wallet)
The bag with wallet reminds us that money is a base to provide content.