48 hours Neukölln /Berlin
glimpse at the procedure
design for my work Flusslage
The urban art and culture scene in the Berlin district Neukölln is in the spotlight of the two-day cultural festival 48 hours Neukölln. A variety of exhibitions and art campaigns guide the visitor on a cultural tour through Neukölln. In summer 2006 this festival, taking place for the 8th time, related to the element of water. The motto read „Neukölln flows“ and the riverside streets were also incorporated in the events.
Flusslage (fishing in the flow of life)
With my work Flusslage I first covered a public ground with a net-like structure. Like a fisher's net that spreads in the water, it offered a playful way to fish any kind of inteference and impulses as well as various reactions out of the flow of passers-by. Will the passers-by comply with my wish by relating to my work, even becoming actors of the event?
Children playing on Flusslage
Mirrored photomontage of the Karl-Marx Square in Berlin Neukölln
The ground work took place on the Karl-Marx Square and covered a 6 by 8 meters surface. The interactions were filmed with a fixed camera. The square is surrounded by blocks of houses. Some of the appartments provided an excellent view of the happening. While I was looking for an appropriate site and inquired about a permission to set up the camera, I gained some fascinating and even shocking insights into the private and social conditions in which the locals live.
The Berlin district Neukölln has the status of a deprived area with cultural conflicts and high potensity to violence. That' s why I assumed that during my art campaign the structure would crumble into its components, maybe even be completely destroyed within only little time. I was all the more astounded to observe with how much interest and sympathy people encountered my work. Particularly children made use of the ground structure with a refreshing frankness and declared the area to their playground. The joy, creativity and ingenuity with which they related to the Flusslage inspired my ground scores art work, which arose from this experience.