Der Teufel sitzt im Detail

Today I was organizing and cleaning files on my computer, when I found images of some installations and objects by Markus Hofer. I think the overflowing liquids are brilliant: rot, Erinnerungan ein nie stattgefundenes Telefonat, Überflüssige Pflanze, Halbmilch, Gelber Saft, Mehr als alle dachten, Der kleine Sonnenuntergang, Die magische Hand des Künstlers, u.a. His chairs have also a fresh and imaginative narrative, even if you don't undestand the title in German: Raum-Zeit Additionen, Sitzecke, Aufsitz, Sehr ungenaue Spiegelung, Hochsitz, usw. They reminded me of Yvonne Fehling & Jennie Peiz's "Sthulhockerbank".

To create a (good) narrative with a single object requires a good understanding and management of the message. Handling two objects, creates a dialogue... and communication becomes twice as hard, but when it's well done, then it is also twice as powerful as single meanings. Siamese objects on the other hand, have a more intimate dialog. Different objects may have different languages, similar objects are like similar people and they probably sahre the same language, allowing to make a conversation much easier. The trick is that the spectator is not the same kind of species as the objects, but should be able to understand and decipher that dialog, or like in this case: "project" the object into familiar situations.

In this case, the chairs become a spatial representation of "projected" human based situations. In latin languages furniture is called mobilier (French) and mueble (Spanish), In this case, the chairs lost their mobility, they become permanently placed, like if they were a snapshot of a moment in time. And we can read (or imagine) what (may have) happened at that precise moment... that's our interpretation or reading of that dialogue :

This setting looks like 3 people talking, and then, one of them turns his/her back on disagreement. Or maybe the third person just happened to be there next to the other two, but is disapproving of the conversation. Maybe they were discussing Rugby and he's a soccer fan... or similar stories like: he was trying to read a book and was disturbed by the loud voices and jokes of the other two, etc. In any case, the reading is that the third element is "disconnecting" from the others.

This one looks like a shy person trying to hide behind the others. It's not disconnecting... it's just hiding behind, maybe to have a quiet moment... or maybe is ashamed or introvert. The last one is the easiest... it's of course an intimate dialog as seen from the distance. Maybe is a parent giving courage to a crying child, maybe it's a (love) couple. The fact that we are peeking from the distance certainly shows that it's an intimate moment not to be disturbed.

Which other dialogs or situations do you imagine are happening? Send me your comments.

ciao