information about the videos shown at eboard and in ......men don't cry, a cliché says....

TextsaboutthevideosshownontheeBoardandinthemedialibrary

A cooperation between curator Andrea Domesle, Pro Innerstadt Basel, GLOBUS Basel and Congress Center Basel© by Andrea Domesle, graphic BureauDillier

“LONELINESS”

May 28 – August 118 videos by Sylvie Boisseau & Frank Westermeyer, Gregory Buchert, Dimension émotionnelle, Paul Heintz, Luzia Hürzeler, Franticek Klossner, Theres Liechti, Elodie Pong are screened daily from 8:00–24:00 in between the regular messages shown on the Congress Center Basel eBoardMesseplatz 21 next to Swissôtel Le Plaza

Furthermore they will be shown from Monday till Friday 10:00 –13:00 on the screen in the Mediathek, FHNW Academy of Art and Design, 8th fl oor, Freilager-Platz 1

May 28 – June 26videocity.bs window at GLOBUS Basel created by the artists Sylvie Boisseau & Frank Westermeyer from 8:00–24:00 Marktplatz 2

June 27 – August 11A huge site-specifi c installation by Sebastian Mundwiler on the e-boards and LED facade of the City Lounge, Messeplatz

“LONELINESS”BOISSEAU & WESTERMEYER ››› G. BUCHERT ››› DIMENSION ÉMOTIONNELLE ››› P. HEINTZ ››› L. HÜRZELER ››› F. KLOSSNER ››› T. LIECHTI ››› E. PONG ››› S. MUNDWILER ›››

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8VideosontheeBoardCongressCenterBasel(withouttheirsoundtrack)andinMediathekFHNW(withsound;two-thirdsofthemhavesound)

SylvieBoisseau&FrankWestermeyer

“Flagman”,2004

2:10Min.,withoutsound(videocity.bsversion)

GregoryBuchert

“L’éclaireur”,2015

9Min.,withsound

DimensionÉmotionnelle

“Somniloquieduperroquet”,2012

52:04min.,sound(ontheeBoarda10min.videocity.bsversionwithoutsoundisshown)

LuziaHürzeler

“DieForelle”(Thetrout),2012

7:45Min.,withsound(videocity.bsversion,1channel,16:3,SplitScreen)

PaulHeintz

“LeSoldat”,2011

4:30Min.,withoutsound

FrantičekKlossner

“MessupYourMind”,2001/04

4Min.,withsound

TheresLiechti

“Superwoman”,2017


ElodiePong

“180degree”,2016



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SylvieBoisseau&FrankWestermeyer“Flagman”,2004

2:10Min.,withoutsound(videocity.bsversion)

Chicago,Summer2004:amanwitharedflagstandsonthesideofapavedroad–atfirstglance,he

lookslikeaFormulaOneofficial.Butoncloserview,onenoticesthatthemanhassethimselfupinfront

ofaparkingarea.Itlooksasifhe’sregulatingtrafficwiththeflag.Helooksright,thenleft,thenright

again,liftstheflagandletsitdropwithaquick,decisivemovement.Hemakesasidewaysgestureasif

hewantstograntsomeonetherightofway.Hegivesthestopsignassoonashenoticesthatoneofthe

carsdrivingbyisbraking.Hehailsanothercar’saccelerationandconfirmsthedriver’scorrectbehavior

withthreefastmovesoftheflag.

Itdoesn’ttakemuchtounderstandthattheyoungmanisnotcontrollingtraffic,butratherthatthecars

thatsurroundhimaremanipulatinghim.Heseemstobedeterminingtheirmaneuvers,butinrealityhe’s

commentingonthem.He’sameaninglessfigureonthemarginsofwhat’shappening,acommentator

withoutanaudience.

JuliaDraganović


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GregoryBuchertL’éclaireur(thescout)2015

HDvideowithsound

9:20min.

Thevideo"L'éclaireur"(thescout)canbereadasafilmicparable.Anakedmanexposesclothesinariver

andhandsthemovertotheirfateofdriftingdownstream.Thecamerafollowsthemysteriousjourney

andshowshowthesuitusuallyglideswithitslegsfirstthroughthesometimesnarrower,sometimes

widerriverbed,pastmeadowsandrocks,overstonesandrapids.Itisaspecialgarment–aone-piece

consistingofabluetopandredtrousers.Thissuitseemstobemadeforhisswimmingonthewater

surface,whereheassumestheformofa"deadman",equallyuninvolvedandpassive.Butheseemsto

beawakenedtonewlifebythewaves.

GregoryBuchertdoesnotconfinehimselftoameremysticalresurrectioninidyllicnature.Thecolourful,

flatsuitcombinationquotesHenriMatisse'scut-outsmadesincethe1940s,withwhichtheoldmaster

onceagaintrodanew,groundbreakingpath.Theroleofthe"scout"mentionedinthetitlecanbe

assigneddifferently:ItreferstoHenriMatisse.Italsoreferstotheblue-redclothingglidingthroughthe

water,whichbecomesthepersonificationformodernity:spiritualbeing,withoutrealcorporeality,pure

coloursurfaceandline,detachedfromabackground.Andlastbutnotleast,theyoungmanatthevery

beginningofthevideo,standingbareintheriverbed,couldalsobethe"scout".Perhapsitiseventhe

artisthimselfwhodarestoventureintotheunknownandprovidestheimpetuswiththevideo?

Thevideocanthusbeunderstoodasaparableabouttheprocessofartisticcreationandtheflowof

thoughts.Thereisadeparture,adevelopment,butneveranarrival.

AndreaDomesle(translation:AndreaDomesle,correctedbyChristopherHaleySimpson)


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DimensionÉmotionnelle“Somniloquieduperroquet”,2012

52:04min.,sound(ontheeBoarda10min.videocity.bsversionwithoutsoundisshown)

Thetitleofthevideoreferstoanactwithinlanguageinwhichnointerpersonalcommunicationtakes

place.Somniloquiemeanstotalkinyoursleep.Thepeopleconcernedarenotawareofthiswhenthey

areawake.Theparrotmentionedinthetitleistheonlybirdwiththeabilitytoimitatewordsand

sentences.

Thecompositionsofstrangeandfragileobjectsthatweseeinthevideocouldbedescribedasstilllifes,

symbolizingabsurdcommunicationsituations.Theseparticularobjectsarewastethattheartistsfound

intheimmediatevicinityoftheirstudio.Thematerialsarewood,wire,foam,plastic.Itisveryrarethata

piececanbeassignedtoaspecificpurpose,suchasapartofsomesunglassesorafragmentofahair

band

Theassemblageswhichappeartoquoteworksbyavant-gardeartists,rotateonagreendiscaroundtheir

ownaxis.Thismodeofpresentationimitatesthatofluxuryproducts,whoseimportanceisincreasedasa

result.Suchanincreaseinmeaningthankstothespinisonlypartiallysuccessfulwiththeobjects

assembledbytheartistgroup.Circonvolutionalsocreatesafeelingofvertigo.Smallobjectsseemto

dissolveoptically.Thespherical,whichtriestoseduce,alsocontributestotheconfusionofthesenses.

Therecentlyfoundobjects,seizedupbytheartistsbeforetheycouldbedestroyed,aredifficultto

ascertainoreventoclassifyforthespectators.Theycanstillacquireanewmeaning,sinceoneisquickly

replacedbytheother.Theprocessofdissolution,agglutinationanddefilementseemstobethe

inevitablefateofthewasteofcivilization."Sleeptalkingparrot"islikeaswansongtocivilization,a

danceofdeathongarbage.

Thecuratorschosethisworkforthefair'selectronicbillboardbecause,ontheonehand,thethemeof

"loneliness"isreflectedinthesestrangeobjects.Ontheotherhand,theassemblagescontraststarkly

withthebeautifulandcolourfulproductsthatarerepresentedonthescreenadvertisements.Thefact

thatthevideousesmethodsfromtheadvertisingworld,suchastheturntableorthebrightlycoloured

background,addstotheparticularaspectoftheassemblages.

Thetitle"Sleeptalkingparrot"linguisticallyrepresentsapleonasmortautology,i.e.thesamethingis

saidagainwithasignificantexpression,bywhichasemanticredundancyiscreatedwithduplicationor

unnecessaryaccumulation–orachimeraofthefantastic.



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LuziaHürzeler“Thetrout”,2012

7:45min.,withsound(videocity.bsversion,1channel,16:9,splitscreen)

Thetrout,2012,43,2channelinstallationon2pedestals

"TheTrout"isasynchronizedvideoinstallationconsistingoftwocubicmonitorsstandingnexttoeach

otheronpedestals,oneachofwhichonevideoisshown.Onescreenshowsmylife-sizeportraitinfront

ofawhitebackground.Theotherscreenshowsalife-sizetroutswimminginthewateragainstan

identicalbackground.Inthecourseofthevideothetroutisdrainedofwater,whileontheothervideoI

amfloodedwithwater.Thefishhaslessandlesswatertoswimin,itsspacetomovebecomesscarcer

andscarceruntilitisdryforashortmoment.Hestrugglesatthebottomoftheemptypool,whileIhold

mybreathunderwaterontheothermonitor.Afterthewaterreachesthetopofthescreen,itstartsto

sinkagainastheemptymonitorfromthetroutfillsupwithwateragain.Igaspforairandthetrout

resumesitsswimmingmotion.

LuziaHürzeler(translation:AndreaDomesle,correctedbyChristopherHaleySimpson)

videocity.bsversion,1channel,16:9,splitscreen

"TheTrout"videoisshownontheeBoardoftheCongressCenterBasel,followingthesuggestionofthe

curators,asasplitscreen,meaningthetwovideoimagesaremountedsidebysideina16:9formatand

runinstantaniouslyinparallel.Thisallowsadirectcomparisonofhowthewaterlevelrisesononeside

whilefallingontheother,bringingeitherthewomanandthefishintodangerorelsebringingboth

continuedlife.

ThesplitscreencompositionblendsinverywellwiththearchitecturalstructureoftheCongressCenter

Baselandpicksupontheaquarium-likeimpressionoftheglasssurfacesinthehotelinterior.According

totheartist,theseare"madeperceptibleinadifferentway".



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PaulHeintz“LeSoldat”,2011

4:30Min.,silent

PaulHeintz'scamerafocusesonthefaceofayoungsoldier.Hisgazeiscontinuouslydirectedoff-camera.

Helookstohisrightatsomethinginthedistance.Littlebylittle,tearsappeartimidlyonhisface-but

nothingexplainsthecause.Themantriestokeephiseyesfixed,tokeephisheadstill.Doeshesniffto

holdbackhistearsoristhisasignofhisinnerstate?Hedoesnotwipehistearsasifhistaskistoalways

lookinthesamedirection,withoutgestures,withoutexpressions.Onlyonceheturnshishead,looksthe

otherwayandbrieflylowershisgaze.

Histearscontinuetoflow,silently.Hislipsopenimperceptibly,buttheydonotformulatewords.The

videohasnosound.Thesoldier,whoisprobablylocatedoutside,wearsacamouflagedhelmet.Wecan't

locatewherethesoldierisstanding.Maybehedoesn'tevennoticethecameralookingathim?Men

don'tcry,aclichésays.Therefore,theyshouldnotletthemselvesbewatchedcrying.Allindicationsare

thatthecryingisoccurringclandestinely.Thecamerabecomestheobserver-voyeur,whotriestounlock

hissecret.Tearsrevealthesoldierbeyondtheuniformasahumanbeing,whoawakensourcompassion.

Webegintolookforareasonforhissadnessintheworldhelooksatoutsideofthevideoframe.

Thissoldier'spointofviewoverlookingtheworldisfurtheraccentuatedbyhispresentationinthepublic

spaceaspartofvideocity.bs.Theelectronicscoreboard,fromwhichitisshown,isplacedwellabovethe

streetviewinglevelandinthedirectionofthefairground.Inthisway,thesoldier'sgazelooksdownon

thepassers-by.Heappearsasagiant,cryingaboutourexistence.



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FrantičekKlossner“MessupYourMind”,2001/04

4min.,withsound

FrantičekKlossner'shigh-speedvideo"MessupYourMind"stagesthedeconstructionofthesubjectina

radicalway.Usingacameradevelopedformilitarypurposesthatproducesmorethan15,000shotsper

second,hehascapturedclose-upsofhumanfacesinextremeslowmotionthat,astheyexhale,cause

theirclosedlipstovibratethroughtheoutflowingair.Bydecomposingfleetingmovementsintotheir

minimalcomponents,initiallyreminiscentofscientific-analyticalresearchmethods,Frantičekproduces

monstrouslydistortedvideoportraits.

Thefaceasafaçadethatcreatesmeaningandidentityseemstoescapeallcontrol,individualtraits

liquefyandbecomeillegible.Thecommunicationstructure,inwhichfacialexpressionsandspeech

apparatusaretakenforgranted,collapses.Itisreplacedbytheunbrokenobscenityofthehugeclose-

ups,carriedbytheimmediatephysicaleffectoftheopeningandclosinglips.

KarinMundt(translation:AndreaDomesle,correctedbyChristopherHaleySimpson)


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TheresLiechti“Superwoman”,2017

frozenmotionanimation,4:19min,withoutsound

Thefrozenmotionanimation"Superwoman"showsafemalefigureintheposeofthefamousSuperman

-withoutstretchedarms-flyingovermountainpeaks.Whereastheoriginalcomicheroflieshighabove

skylinesofUSmetropolisesinhisfightagainstthevillainsofthisworld,Superwomansailsupagainst

obstacles.Hereoneseesasteadystreamofoncomingtrafficintheformofcutedecorativecushionsor

doiliesbuzzingalong.Theseareallaccessoriesofasphereinwhichsocietystillpreferstoseewomen

today:Withinthecosyhome,besidethestove,inthelapofthefamily.Superwomanhasmobilized

superpowerstoflyoutoftherestrictivesphereoffemaleexistenceintofreedom.Superwomanhas

decidedthatevenperfidiousobstaclesintheaircannotholdherback.Thequestionofwhereherescape

shallleadisdeliberatelynotansweredinthework.Willsheflyhighorcrashdownafterthecollision?

Oncefree,almostanythingispossible.

ChristinaPeege(translation:ChristopherHaleySimpson)


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ElodiePong“180degree”,2016

2:30min.,loop,withoutsound

Thedancermovesinaliquidflow-motion.Althoughthevideoissilent,theyseemtobefilledwitha

melodythatmakestheirbodyoscillate.Theperformerisdressedlikemanytoday:tight-fittingdark

trousers,ablueT-shirtandsneakers,allinthesametoneofcoloursasthebackgroundinfrontofwhich

theyevolve.Nowfortheextraordinary:theyshiftina180degreesspectrum!

Atthebeginningoftheloop,theyarefacingus.Theythentakeadeepbreath,armsreachingouttothe

back-asiftogetthenecessaryenergytosetthedancingfigures,whichareperformedupsidedown,in

motion.Theirsteps,fromtheviewer’sperspective,firstleadthemclockwisetotheleftedgeofthe

picture,thenalongtheupperedgetotheupperrightcorner-andfromtherebacktotheleftcornerto

remainhereinanextendedpose;headdown.Orisheaddownactuallyaheads-up?

Therearetwosuchsequences,whichdiffermainlyinthecolouringofthebackground:First,theleftside

islightblueandtheotherdarkblue,thenit’stheotherwayaround.Inthefirstroundthemovement

leadsfromlighttodarkandbacktolight,thesecondendsindarkblue.

Inthisupside-downworld,thedancertakesonthecharacteristicsofplantsoranimals,theirarmsgliding

constantlyupanddownandbackandforth,likeanalgaeorganism,oranundeterminedaquatic

creature.Thebody,too,ischaracterisedbyitsflexibility,asifboneless,supplelikeanoctopus.The

restingpositionsresemblethoseofsittingbirds,ifturned180degrees,orofsleepingbats.

Perhapstheyfindthemselvesinasuper-naturalzonewhereweightlessnessreigns?Aretheyperforming

acosmicdancethatsymbolizesthecreation,destructionandre-creationoftheuniverse?Dothey

immediatelypointAuroratothebeginningday?OrdoesAstraiospointtodusk?Thelattertwowere

oftendepictedwithwingsinancienttimes.Whowouldtheypersonifytoday?

IstheprotagonistinElodiePong'svideothepersonificationofcinematicarts?Whatmaybeseenas

heavencouldthenbetheblueboxofafilmstudio.Theblue-screentechniquemakesitpossibleto

isolatethefiguresandsetthemagainstadifferent,separatelyproducedbackground.Inthehistoryof

cinema,specialeffectswereshotwithit,suchaschariotracesorspacevoyages,theexecutionofwhich

otherwiseseemedtoodaringorimpossible.Whatistheintendedfakebackgroundfor"180degree"?

Thevideocity.bsscreeningontheeBoardoftheCongressCenterBasel,thankstosizeandpositioning,

emphasizestheassociationwithamythologicalskydanceinElodiePong'svideo.Afurther

environmentalfactorinfluencestheinterpretation:inJune,theexhibitionsiteispopulatedwithvisitors

fromallovertheworldwhotraveltoArtBasel.Theirvisitisreminiscentofacontemporarypilgrimage.

Admirableobjectsareusuallydisplayedraisedorspeciallyilluminated,sothatthevideosshownby

videocity.bsontheeBoardaresuitableforadoration.Evenifunderrepresentedincomparisontoother

meansofexpression,videosandfilmsarealsopresentatArtBasel.PerhapsElodiePong'sfigurewillturn

this"180degrees"around?/AndreaDomesle(translation:AndreaDomesle,correctedbyElodiePong)


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Mediathekande-Board:videocity.bsexperimentsoncewithoncewithoutsound

OurperceptioninthemedialibraryoftheAcademyofArtandDesignFHNWisquitedifferentfromthat

experiencedinthecitycentre.Herethevideosarepresentedwiththeiroriginalsoundtracks(two-thirds

ofthemhavesound).Itisatraditionalpresentationwithamonitor,headsetandseatingwithina

concentrated,quiet,stylishambience.Herethevisitorscanfullycomprehendthevideocity.bsexperimentitself:thosewhoareinterestedcanherestudythedifferencebetweenthepresentationin

thepublicspaceandpayheedtotheshiftsinmeaningthatariseininterpretationsofthesamework,be

theywithorwithoutsound,beitindoorsoroutdoors.

Integraltothevideocity.bsexperimentisthattrafficsoundsformthebackingtrackorreplacethe

originalsoundtrack.Coincidencesofeverydaylife–consistingofnoisesandreflections–intervenewith

thecompositions;theyemphasizeordiminishaestheticelementsandthusdisplacethestatementsof

theartists.ThevideostakeonanewlightinthepublicdomaininBasel.


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9artistsorartistgroups

SylvieBoisseau&FrankWestermeyer

SylvieBoisseau*1970Paris;FrankWestermeyer*1971Essen,liveinGeneveandBerlin

https://filmerei.de

GregoryBuchert*1983Haguenau,livesinLille

http://galeriepoggi.com/en/artistes/documentation/10347/gregory-buchert

DimensionÉmotionnelle,anartgroupformedinFrancein2012http://www.dimensionemotionnelle.com

PaulHeintz*1989Saint-Avold,livesinParis

http://paulheintz.fr/apropos,https://vimeo.com/paulheintz

LuziaHürzeler*1976Solothurn,livesinGeneve

www.luziahurzeler.ch

FrantičekKlossner*1960Grosshöchstetten,livesinBern

https://www.franticek.com

TheresLiechti*1968Zurich,livesinWinterthur

https://www.theresliechti.ch

SebastianMundwiler*1978,livesinBasel,http://www.sebastianmundwiler.ch

ElodiePong*1966Boston,livesinZurich,http://www.sikart.ch/KuenstlerInnen.aspx?id=4027026

FurtherInformation

->videocitybs.ch

information about the videos shown at eboard and in ......men don't cry, a cliché says....

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