TONSPUR_display #15 • Leo Schatzl • Stone from the Silent Star

TONSPUR_display • MuseumsQuartier Wien
9 FEB–15 APR 2026 • daily 10 am–8 pm • tonspur.at

Opening: So 8 FEB 2026, 5 pm
Introductory remarks: Friedrich Schwarz, botanist

The object is an artificial replica of a boulder. It is not made of rock, but of silicone, a soft, natural-feeling material. It is not of geological origin, nor does it share the weight or the coldness of natural stone, and it ages differently. The object is not moving in the space. It merely generates an internal movement in the form of pulsing. This movement has no funtion nor does it convey any information. It simulates activity without performing any action or reacting to anything.
Culturally, stones are regarded as bearers of time, of traces and of geological processes, as well as being a prerequisite for biological development. At the same time, they are perceived as silent, immobile and impassive volumes while also being mediators or cult objects. This significance comprises the background to the perception of the object, while the object itself expresses nothing, meaning emerges from the viewers’ expectation. The shape and its movement trigger interpretation without providing content. The body is read as a counterpart, although it is not one.
The title establishes a reference to origins in space. It describes the shape as something that does not originate from here and connects it with the concept of information that cannot be read.     

translation: Jonathan Quinn

Installation view

Opening