“A major new public commission, titled Thinking Head (2017), will comprise clouds of steam slowly rising from the roof of Nottingham Contemporary. On some days these clouds of vapour will be intense; on others, barely visible. Completely uncontrolled by the artist, the steam will move in shifting patterns – forming plumes, wisps, complex shapes. The inspiration for Favaretto’s project is Alighiero Boetti’s final sculpture, from 1993. Sometimes called Mi Fuma il cervello - My Brain is Smoking (1993), this bronze self-portrait is electrically heated; the artist is thinking so hard that his head is steaming. Favaretto has said she wanted to turn a museum into a 'thinking machine'. At Nottingham Contemporary, the intensity of the steam clouds above will correspond to the intensity of the thinking happening inside. On dull days, there will be little steam. At certain moments, it might be billowing. The other half of this work is subterranean and out of sight. Details of this secret project may or may not be revealed in the future.”
Excerpt from the press release of “Absolutely Nothing” at Nottingham Contemporary, Nottingham, UK (20 May 2017 - 28 August 2017)