Prisoners' Inventions: An exhibition of re-created inventions by prisoners at I Space Gallery



WHO

*Prisoners' Inventions is a book and an accompanying exhibition created by Angelo, an incarcerated artist, and Temporary Services, a Chicago-based art group consisting of Brett Bloom, Salem Collo-Julin, and Marc Fischer


*I Space is the Chicago-based gallery of the College of Fine & Applied Arts at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign


WHAT

Prisoners' Inventions is a collaboration between Temporary Services, a group based in Chicago, and Angelo, who is incarcerated in California. Angelo illustrated and described many incredible inventions made by prisoners. The creations include cooking appliances, cigarette lighters, condoms and chess sets. These items demonstrate the resourcefulness of prisoners in response to their restrictive environment. Temporary Services co-edited a book of Angelo's writings and drawings, re-created many of the inventions from the book and built a full-size replica of Angelo's cell at his request.

This exhibition at I space will be the most extensive showing of Prisoners' Inventions to date. It will include a large number of re-created inventions, blueprints for and a full-size replica of Angelo's cell, videos demonstrating how several inventions are made, a reading library of related publications, a panel discussion, film screenings and more. We will also exhibit new Prisoners' Inventions drawings from Angelo that have never been shown or published. These include a method for removing pilled fabric bumps from linens, a pizza recipe involving a light fixture and details of an exorcism that was performed on a television set that may have been haunted.

WHERE

The exhibition and all related events take place at

I space

230 West Superior Street, Second Floor

Chicago



VIEWING HOURS

Available to view from Friday, December 9, 2005 through Saturday, January 28, 2006. Open Tuesdays through Saturdays from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Closed Sundays and Mondays.


SPECIAL EVENTS

All events are free, all ages, and open to the public

Friday, December 9, 2005

6:00 – 10:00 p.m.

Opening reception with free refreshments. Temporary Services will be present.



Saturday, December 10, 2005

1:00 p.m.

Temporary Services leads a tour of the exhibition and a workshop in invention-making. The workshop is appropriate for all ages and skill levels.



Thursday, December 15, 2005

8:00 p.m.

Film Screening: A Man Escaped

A Man Escaped (1956)
Directed by Robert Bresson, France, 95 min.


Lieutenant Fontaine is a French man incarcerated by German soldiers occupying France in 1943. It gradually becomes clear that Fontaine will be executed for blowing up a bridge as an act of resistance to the occupation. He devises several inventions for surviving prison life and escaping. He figures out a way to communicate with prisoners in neighboring cells by tapping on the walls, and by lowering a handkerchief with a string from his window to pass letters to other inmates. Fontaine dismantles his bed to make a rope reinforced with wire. He fashions grappling hooks from the metal frame of an air vent cover. This film is packed with prisoners' inventions.

Saturday, December 17, 2005

12:00 –- 2:00 p.m.

Prison Design: a public discussion with Kevin Henry & Glen A. Hodgson, moderated by Temporary Services and Jeffery Poss.

Kevin Henry is an industrial designer and the coordinator of the Product Design program at Columbia College. Glen A. Hodgson is an architect who has helped plan and design thirty-three adult and juvenile correctional facilities. Jeffery Poss is an associate professor at the School of Architecture of the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Thursday, January 5, 2006

8:00 p.m.

Film Screening: Carandiru

Carandiru (2003)
Directed by Hector Babenco, Brazil, 146 min.


This film is based on the actual experiences of Dr. Drauzio Varella. He worked at Carandiru prison in Sao Paolo, Brazil in the 90s. The film delves into the personal stories of inmates and their lives before prison, while showing the effects incarceration has on loved ones. Carandiru reveals the impact of the AIDS epidemic on the inmate population and the tension this adds to their relationships. A massive riot at Carandiru left 111 inmates dead at the hands of the guards. The film was shot at the prison right before it was demolished in 2002. Featured prisoners inventions include weight lifting equipment made from heavy water bottles attached to wooden poles, and an inmate who creates stunning "hot air balloons" out of extremely thin paper sacks. These "balloons" lift off the ground by a payload that is ignited to produce smoke.

Downloadable images and more information at:

www.temporaryservices.org/pi_overview.html

Prisoners' Inventions, the book, is distributed by the University of Chicago press, and available at many local bookstores. More information is at www.press.uchicago.edu/cgi-bin/hfs.cgi/00/170360.ctl


Contact I space:
Tel: 312.587.9976
Fax: 312.587.9978
Email: ispace (at) uiuc.edu

Contact Temporary Services:
servers (at) temporaryservices.org
Temporary Services
P.O. Box 121012
Chicago, IL 60612