The Oracle of Delphi – future on request
How to use it? How to mount it? When setting up the bench, make sure that the labyrinth is leveled. This is what the calibration is for. The chain must hang exactly in the middle of the crosshairs. The feet can be finely adjusted using a wrench. To do this, use the outer screws first. The screws on the middle feet are only used to distribute the load and should be adjusted after adjustment so that they just touch the floor. If the floor is sensitive, the bench should always be placed on cardboard discs or beer mats. If the bench has to be moved for some reason, it must be finely adjusted before it is used again. The story behind… #buenavistacervera is a social art project. People are invited to workshops to build benches and other furniture for public spaces together. The objects invite social interaction. This makes the…
GAME B – beyond the matrix
GameA is the description for the current world and its civilization. GameB names the other, the better, the evolutionary different. The classic game as a civilization companion of mankind then probably belongs to GameA. It is characterized by the setting of the playing field, game objective, rules of the game and the course of the game.This GameB goes beyond that. There are no limits to the number of players, the playing fields, the moves, the rules of the game or the possible course of the game. If you discover one of the #buenavistacervera benches in a public space or museum or in an exhibition hall, maybe you will find a bench which invites you to play. The Game B – benches are dedicated to the social interaction of playing games. In a first trial you might use a given rule-set but you should go beyond and create your own rules.…
ACT
It is essential to give back to the community that supports you. Each of my artworks is embedded in social ties, aiming to create a meaningful impact on those around me. There is no need for a commission when the intention is genuine. The first and most valuable return on investment is the gratitude that comes from witnessing the process of discovery. As Ai Weiwei puts it, “My favorite word? It’s act.” Action is fundamental to creation. Social sculpture demands a strong concept, thoughtful planning, and powerful execution. Power controls through fear, and fear is politics. By offering pleasure, joy, and knowledge, artists disrupt established power, placing themselves at the heart of politics. Contemporary art’s ongoing task is to challenge existing conditions, and resistance—whether through headwinds, exclusion, or rejection—signals that this engagement is meaningful. I echo Tania Bruguera’s words: “Feeling good is not enough: Create a political moment.” Social sculpture…
The act of St. Laurence
Even in capitalist systems, there are inalienable rights for the arts. One of these rights is the right to authorship. Who created the work, who painted or copied it, and if so, did they respect this inalienable right and properly identify the source. In photography, proof of authorship used to be possession of film, negative or slide. Today it is often the digital data set, outcropped in the highest resolution. When a photographer refers to his career and experience, he is actually referring to his archive. That is his greatest treasure, that is the foundation of his authorship. In the digital age – which will certainly also pass – analogue film is already considered old-fashioned and antiquated. Nevertheless, it still stores far more pixels per inch than modern digital cameras. The advantage lies in its easy availability and handling, not in its quality. The idea of keeping the analogue for…
U-HAFT QUEDLINGBURG – Backstage
This is the story behind the story behind a series for the international social art project ARTSURPRISE.EU. It is the story of a prison, the story of two men (both hero’s for me), working voluntarily as guides for this place, the story of the making-of of the series and the story of rejecting an offer to use contemporary art to rise more attention for this location and the people behind. I dedicate this series to my father. The 6th of October 2024 was his birthday (88 years). And what connects him to this series is his never ending love for people. Thank you for that. At all times people have done evil to other people. Many people were imprisoned innocently. So-called republic refugees were also imprisoned in the prison in Quedlinburg. These were people who simply wanted to leave the country (back then the German Democratic Republic GDR). In the…
LO SIENTO MUCHO – I AM SO SORRY
This is a story inside a story inside a story inside a story. And i am so sorry. You have to read it till the end, to get it all…enjoy! Every story begins with ourselves. Even when we are listening to another telling us their story, we are surrounded by our interpretation of their story. The only thing we can comprehend is our own imagination, our thoughts. Maybe your story starts like this: You look at your smartphone. You have read a text, found and used a QR code, and now you are interested to see what kind of story it is. And at the same time the other stories of your life are pushing into your consciousness and struggling for attention. So it is important to assess whether you want to stay with this story or rather switch to the next one. You scroll a bit to estimate how…
artefact – we act – insight on backstage
Whenever people experience themselves in social art projects, they experience the – common – moment of doing, of action. Then they connect the work with what they have experienced themselves. One’s own action is perceived as spontaneous, direct and immediate. Attention is focused on the moment.Nevertheless, there is always a story before the story, a story of the idea, the concept, the preparation.This is the story of the preparation of the series “ARTEFACT – WE ACT DADA 2023” for the art project ARTSURPRISE. The story begins in spring 2023 with a call from a dispatcher at a wood processing company. He asks if there is interest in a larger quantity of prefabricated olive wood sticks. A customer dropped out and now you have this batch in stock.At the same time, there was the concept of a series of stamps that should be conveyed to people interested in art via ARTSURPRISE.…
FLUXUS
This is the story about a classmate at school, about a photography workshop as part of my art class, about a woman who preferred playing soccer to playing with dolls and about the beginning of my love for art production. And it is the story of the evolution of this production, from an individual to a social artistic creation. As Webster mentioned: “Fluxus is an avant-garde art movement of the 1950s and 1960s that was heavily influenced by Dada”. George Macinuas coined the term Fluxus to describe his wide range of artistic activities. As Britannica knows: “In its early years, from 1962 to 1966, Fluxus fused conceptual art, minimalism, new music, poetry, and chance-based work into an intermedia phenomenon, identifiable more through its irreverent attitude toward art than through the use of any distinct style. Utilizing humour—in the spirit of Dada—and everyday materials and experiences, Fluxus created original and often…
la maison du dragon – puppet theatre – first proof of concept – stage details
In October 2021 we designed the first parts of the lower stage ground. The most important decision was the grid pattern for the lower stage. It will support various connections to other components and it will be used in the design of many construction parts like upper stage, walls and trusses. Part of the stage will be a moving segment. Based on the capacity of the laser cutter it comes along in 4 segments. Each segment provides 90 degree of a full circle of total of 48 cm. Also we realised a first pillar based on the same grid design to support (right photo) fastening eyes. A color scheme should lead to seperate the prefabricated parts. More about the general project you find here.
The day Beuys deleted his social media accounts
About love for people in times of a global civil war This is the story of a look back at many years of social art, the story of the rise and fall of social media, the story of a departure into the reald world that looks like re-treat and social death, and which only underlines that contemporary artists should also enjoy their time . My path into the arts started 40 years ago. For a small German town I was commissioned to carry out an art campaign for children and young people, my first paid artwork with the age of 18. I suggested a common action painting. The canvas 40 x 1.6 m in 20 segments faced a crowd of more than 160 young painters. The rules were clear: paint over what you don’t like. Allow the following to do the same. Return as many times as you want till…