‘HOT AND GROUNDED at 13’ is a site-specific installation by Ariane Roesch at the 13 Celsius Wine Bar, located at 3000 Caroline Street, that explores the architecture and social culture of the space through delineating connections with red and green light wires. It was installed December 13, 2008 – February 13, 2009.
Roesch’s work creates narratives by setting up connections that call into question human relationships and interactions within an increasingly technologically driven society. Toying with the Christmas Holiday timing and decoration, the Red and Green wires refer to actual electrical wire coding – Red being the active or ‘Hot’ wire, whereas Green means neutral or ‘Grounded’ wire. As they snake through the space, converging in certain spots before splitting up again, they connect to different images. The ‘grounded’ wire runs between a machine and wine bottles, whereas the ‘hot’ wire connects a man toiling away at a machine to a man embracing a woman.