The installations that the American artist, Matthew McCaslin, has been making since the early nineties - and which have brought him international recognition - look like something out of a rather pernickety person's workshop. Electric cables, light switches and plugs are his basic materials, which he then links up as required with audio-visual equipment, ventilators and clocks. His arrangements confront viewers with a whole variety of sensations, exposing them to breakneck sequences of medial images, acoustic signals and lights, physically subjecting them to the energy of the breeze from the ventilators. However, generally one switch is enough to interrupt the flow of energy: thus McCaslin's installations may be seen as plastic metaphors of technical, ecological and human energies. McCaslin's works are temporary installations, each relating specifically to the location of the exhibition. With photographs of the installations and accompanying essays, this volume presents a comprehensive overview of his work to date. The artist: Matthew McCaslin, born in Bayshore, N.Y. Numerous solo exhibitions in galleries and art museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, New York in 1992 and the Sprengel Museum, Hanover in 1994. Lives and works in New York.