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martinbstill
3. - 6. Mai 2011
VORWORT der nachname ist nicht so wichtig, sagt er. für einen künstler ist das nicht so simpel, wie es klingt. kunst ist, was künstler machen, und beglaubigt wird das – mit dem namen. eine signatur ist nicht nötig; es gibt bessere formen der zuordnung. wenn die kunsthistoriker keinen namen für einen künstler haben, dann erhält er einen notnamen: meister des durchsichtigen fensters beispielsweise, oder meister des blinden flecks, oder meister der zerbrochenen glasscheiben. hier ist er eben nur: der künstler. genauso gut: der designer, der veejay oder der filmemacher. klar ist das ein spiel, eine illusion, abgeleitet aus in ludere, was unser künstler genau weiss und auch zitiert. doch er spielt gleich in mehreren ebenen und auf diversen spielplätzen weiter: sowohl alle paradigmen des fotografischen akts stehen dem spielerischen umgang zur verfügung als auch alle motive, die das technische abbilden einfangen und wiedergeben, also aufnehmen und vermitteln könnte. so etwas nennt sich die repräsentation der welt, ihrer realien und bedeutungen – und so etwas interessiert den künstler einfach überhaupt nicht. ihm war die fotografie noch nie ein abklatsch des weltlichen, sondern ein bildgenerator; und was seine bilder sind, sind sie: bilder, nicht mehr und nicht weniger. das extrahieren von dingen, gar menschen ins perspektivische abbild langweilt ihn, denn er kann genauso gut die wichtigen elemente in seinen bildern aus kleinsten formen und details aufbauen, in jeder zehntelsekunde neu, mit und ohne optisches system. ein-, zwei- oder tausendäugig, ganz nach wunsch dessen, was er zeigen will. und: ob ein bild bewegt ist oder steht, spielt kaum noch ein rolle. doch es gibt eckpunkte im wahrnehmen dieser bilder, vom starken blau bis zu den vielecken seiner selbstgenerierenden formen. da scheinen assoziationen auf, von geschwindigkeit und flüchtigem, von raumtiefen und dem fahren bei nacht, von landschaften und wasseroberflächen. reale fotografien gibt es genauso wie animierte filme, zwischen den medien ist viel platz, und auch mit dem wird gespielt. something is going on here, and you don’t know what it is, or do you, mr. jones? sang einst bob dylan in seiner ballad of a thin man – und warum soll man eigentlich wissen, was in diesen bildern wirklich gespielt wird? schauen heisst die aufgabe – jetzt sind sie dran, liebe leser/innen: er hat geschaut, gemacht, getan, gewirkt, gewirbelt, die ergebnisse sind vorläufig wie alles was im netz hängt. doch gut denkbar, dass die prints in den angegebenen grössen an einer wand hängen – mindestens eine schöne vorstellung. dann wäre ja alles wirklich kunst, es wäre als kunst wirklich. ein schönes spiel, oder?
rolf sachsse
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Martin B Still
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FICTION. WHAT ELSE. ABOUT SOMETHING. ‘what is essential nowadays? technology alone does not create - it makes tools. techniques do not create - they make for great craft. and mastering both does not necessarily make something valuable. unarguably both seem to become more important every single day. but i’m getting ahead of myself. in the beginning it might be important to work with outdated, subpar, defective or only partially working tools and wares because that limits the range. at least for a while. what is essential: it challenges you to think about possibilities, to look for synergy, to reevaluate things. anything you are able to conceive as a human being. at the same time it reminds you of the fact that there is other things that may (or may not) be of at least equal importance.’ i was thinking. ‘like what? i have to get something done here!’ the old and skinny woman belched in front of me. ‘finding out something about yourself, ponder and wonder about things, learn!’. until a certain point that is, since its practically impossible to reach beyond that without adapting more too quickly. which might even be dangerous, especially on the edge and if not processed correctly. i don’t know why or how and i’m not sure i want to find out. she gave me one of those ‘annoying bastard’ looks and said in a surprisingly calm and soothing voice that didn’t match the rough, almost manlike tone that had erupted from her mouth before: ‘cough it up. it’s 17.27.’ this was one of those moments i knew all too well. i dreaded them. scrap comes to mind. ‘what is wrong with you?’ her again. ‘i believe in keeping some things as open as possible and for as long as possible. and, only when needed, as closed as necessary. i guess the trouble is finding out which is when. thats why my purse is mostly empty.’ luck- ily this was not one of those days. i paid, got my change and kept moving. she gave me a strange look from behind her booth. ‘nowadays it’s complex. many exciting tools available, some of them rumored to be ‘quite impossible to master at all in a lifetime’. and they all want you to use them. imagine a bunch of specialized robots competing with each other for you to notice them. to use all their abundant abilities. this is getting strange indeed. a girl sitting at a table with a box of seereals in front of her shoots me a short, distracted glance before shoving the spoon back into the bowl for another mouthful. ‘how do i navigate in this mess?’ nothing. finally: ‘by inventing more and more efficient and exciting gadgets to solve problems and to navigate our interaction with time we have to invent more and more efficient and exciting gadgets to solve problems and to navigate our interaction with time. we could argue about it...not now. bad timing.’ expecting anything but silence i was temporarily stupefied, almost alerted. something must have worked. listen.absorb.contain.intrinsic.density.transmute.feed. ‘i’m beginning to ask myself: who the hell are these characters?’ ‘sometimes important things change’. ‘when is that?’ one word sums it up: unsure, or something like that. anyway, i find it exhilarating and fascinating. because it shows the necessity for change on many levels. ‘what are the odds of the human being having two connected brains - not just one? abel and cain or something like it, the light and the dark force? if so, should i go and join the church of the jedi to save my soul?’ ... ‘trust yourself and find others you can trust. you might find out something about who you can be, perhaps even about the so called human condition. either way: it’s important to know when to stop, as it is important to take a definable risk once in a while.’ the choice of command+z made me stop painting in real space - this is not locked in. ‘we all are part of and involved in a big transition right now. countless dreams, prelived or even staged realities to be consumed - loads of ancient things you knew nothing about. old concepts being revised or rectified, some for sale, some thrown overboard. the interesting part: new ones testing the old ones whilst being poked and prodded out of loss and angst in return. what has changed recently is this: we know too much about our world. or as a notorious pirate once put it: ‘there is just less innit’. you simply have to listen.’ doubt. that’s good. ‘let’s just look at it from an other angle. for some people life is about the pursuit of happiness. i think it should be about the pursuit of understanding. of course that might turn out to be somewhat of an awkward experiment. you could make yourself process yourself while being in a sort of induced and automated state of zombielikeness. let’s just call it that for shock value and because it’s a term we understand in well entertained cultures like ours. other cultures have other ways for it. depending on some prerequisites, it might evolve into either something dreadful or something beautiful. in this state you might realize something, but in a very much conscious way. while being wide asleep you might learn a thing or two. there certainly are risks, as with most things metaphysically rewarding. and you might wake up dreaming again. which as a fact can be very much of a problem. on the other hand: you could have been either dreaming or wide awake before. in any case, this is not something i know how to pass on. simply put: this experience might be completely worthless to most.’ noisy cars, a phonecall i have to make, distractions. ‘there are rough blueprints in life. you may encounter them once in a while. mostly you will have to refurbish them, completely, probably even modify them. certain things can only develop if you let them - others might be given to you in time. now this probably sounds like it came from some sports instructor or something, but try keeping your balance and never forget about timing. and probably most importantly: just say no. sometimes. when it makes sense.’ somebody is trying to cut through all the silence, banging something hard on something harder - somewhere. ‘who the fuck is talking in here? this is a library, so shut the fuck up!’ looking around i realize faint sounds coming through the closed kitchen doors, tables with dishes, a waitress communicating in some strange language about something vaguely familiar, and i wonder: this is indeed a strange library... ‘old teachings are worthless without new ones. essentially you have to find out for yourself. we live in a world teemingly full of ways, choices and possibilities. very exciting. some of them are dead ends. some are traps very much like the enchanted island in the odysseus myth. perhaps even worse. so we build tools to make them all accessible. in return they empower us with more freedom of choice. the interesting bit: they are assembled and released so quickly they need to be patched up a couple of days later. everything is patched up nowadays. it makes things more complete than in the first place, and at the same time more patched up. but sure, patches do help - mostly. at least for a while...’ this is making some sort of sense. wonder what exactly. ‘so what about going through all the trouble and creating something from scratch, something truly original?’ hmmm. ‘sure, you can do that. it may even develop healing qualities for some. question is: do you feel the need for it? i am citing henry miller now by saying: ‘there’s a long process to be gone through first.’ since this is out of context: read the faqs for the full quote. just be advised: it takes time. and probably more than that in most cases.’ finishing the chapter i started drifting out of the window. angry gushes of wind tearing small trees and bushes from one direction to the other, without end. all those things you cannot see or hear, the metaphysical, is fascinating. always has. it probably even generates synaptic connections. which is one of those few places left where you can experience the magical.
