‘Water, fire and air; these natural elements create a certain spectacle in the video work Der Lauf der Dinge (1987) of the Swiss duo Fischli & Weiss. Gravity and chemical reactions generate a constant chain reaction. Jerry cans, balloons, plastic cups, tires, candles, ropes, cans etc., put each other and consecutive objects in motion. The result is an almost complete destruction. The thirty-minute video work, or the ‘circus act’ as the artists themselves once labelled it, has become a classic in the history of art. In their hometown Zurich the two built a course of about thirty meters long with several home, garden and kitchen items, with which a chain reaction was put in motion. A book and a documentary on this complete, somewhat ‘post-apocalyptic’, series of chaos followed in subsequent years. It is not surprising that many artists found their inspiration in this work.’

This is just a preview of an upcoming review of the exhibition De Loop der Dingen, over oorzaak en gevolg (The Way Things Go | About cause and effect) in Kunsthal KAdE in Amersfoort. The complete review will be published shortly by Dutch art review platform Tubelight (Dutch only).