On Schwitters (and me:)
How would you describe what you do, your arts ?
Still searching, work in progress, more or less intuitively - which can be special if you work like me with pixel buffers in the digital realm, software driven . I’d say it’s called game design and augmented reality what I do - with a special twist and focus on sound driven experiences. Corona brought me to put much effort into my website - so I kindly invite you to have a look…
Being a trained actor after frustrating years on german stages I got a chance to work for „Regie und Raum“ - Fred Berndts (he may rest in peace) stage and exhibition design company. Fred, himself absolutely analog in his views, successfully ported his solid craftsmanship signature by hiring people like me, first generation digital natives. His big „Spielen“ exhibition at Hygiene Museum Dresden, a genuine analog event, was short before I joined, so I guess that’s why …
https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Berndt
Schwitters?
He’s dead isn’t he? … living artists are actually more important to me. I feel connection, mentorship and standing in a friendly dialogue. For instance with Karl Heinz Jeron and with Alfred Banze. Or here and now :) I’m quite active on social media as well.
Schwitters is around since school.
Especially his humor and light heartedness. His love for the piece of pieces, his Merz brand a classic thesis in arts professionalism, his „Kathedrale des erotischen Elends“ THE place to be for every wishful thinker, and his Ur-Sonate imperative and practical sound model for everyone involved in sound synthesis and vocoding. Born into the darkest time of 20th century he successfully managed to make art happen in the moment, he truly kind of lightened up people, enormous powers, others used whole cinematic industries to do the exact same thing - and I think he would have too, if he didn’t have to go that early.
That’s what currently coins my image of Schwitters, I very much perceive the tragedy of his biography in the light of THE dark century. Apropos light: there’s one thing I keep wondering: there’s no fotos or films he did, at least I’m not aware of any. Beside that he left things to do for his son, what were his views ?
So I made for you some works of a darker nature, inspired by what I’d say a Corona Performance of Karl Heinz and things I found expressive in my „Merz“ daylies. I decided for „Strausberger Platz“ since it is vast and empty and round, an interesting place and thing to scan, and it has iconic value. Since I perform digitally: I drop the digital dead.
Long live Schwitters!
Thank you, Gwendolen Webster, for invititing me to contribute to the Kurt Schwitters society !
Berlin in April 2021
Benedikt Eickhoff