HOMECOMING
China 1989
As already mentioned, the pictures were taken on my trip to China. Many years later, by (un)fortunate coincidence, Mother Nature turned them into unique artworks. My dream and my goal to offer these extraordinary pictures a suitable presentation framework; a frame that does justice to its origins and underlines its beauty.
Shanghai December 2017
An essential step towards achieving this goal was my five-week stay at the "Swatch Art Peace Hotel" in Shanghai, which was created for artists. There I was able to deepen my experience with the slides' chemical transformation with the help of a series of experiments. My series of experiments revealed many different insights. I mainly devoted myself to the aspects of water, form, and perception.
Water
I dipped the slides into various water solutions and paid particular attention to the decomposing effect.
- Water from the Huangpu Jiang
(River that flows through Shanghai)
- Water with alcohol
- Pure water, resting and in movement
- Water with salz
- Water frozen to ice
- Water with urine
- Water mixed with soil
Result: The emulsion of the slides changed only slightly. Here and there were slight changes. An exception was the slide from the Shanghai flowing Huangpu Jiang River. The emulsion on this slide was completely dissolved. In general, the time factor and the steady supply of moisture seem to be essential components in the birth of Volva.
Print on acryl
Shape
It quickly became clear that the spirit of Volva would opt for the printing on glass (or Plexiglas because of the lower weight) as an exhibition form. I wanted to be sure and read the following tests in Shanghai:
- Print on acryl
- Print of fabric
- Print on paper
Result: Glass or Plexiglas is undoubtedly the material to use for this art form. However, glass is not suitable for large pictures because of its high weight. All prints have been designed for a backlit view.
Print on fabric
Print on paper
Perception
What do we perceive? I wanted to find out what people feel about these pictures if they can't see them? What do we perceive with our (un) senses?
Three friends let the power of the pictures work its wonders before they could see them with their eyes. Here is a little video of it.
