1.project texts in english

Hanging Garden (2009)

Aki Nagasaka

My new work ‘Hanging Garden’ will take place in the attic of an old, yet still-operating distillery in a small village called Zinzow in Germany. Not only lifted up from the earth but also suspended in the ceiling of the attic, it is an interior garden constructed with a wide variety of natural dry plants. The work refers to historical and collective fantasies and desires and deals with timeless personal daydreams and wishes.

Historically, humans have always taken great interest in floating or suspended objects in the air, especially those of which were massive. Our collective interest in floating objects mostly likely stems from our own inability to fly due to the unavoidable downward pull of gravity. The Hanging Garden of Babylon was considered magical; the massive lush garden looked as if it was floating in the sky in the dessert, although it was made possible by the highly developed engineering system of the time.

Before the establishment of the modern science, alcohol distillation was exclusively practiced by alchemists, regarded as a magic. The method to change the states of liquids was completely mystical and the distilled liquors were considered ‘water of life’ for immortality, which has been always a human desire.

As a child I had dreamed of creating my own world into which I could slip. This assumed different forms such as a hidden hideout in the tunnel, a tent constructed with umbrellas, a few days of living in the closet, and my own version of ‘Alice in Wonderland’ in my diary. I am still very fascinated with potential spaces and elements that pull me into a world of psychological wandering and wondering.

‘Hanging Garden’ is one form of the projections of all these fantasies and desires. Given in time to look at suspended and slowly self-rotating plants, their shapes and presence are mesmerizing. Suspension of the plants hints at frozen time and the dryness of the plants suggests distilled, passed time. The potential use of the dry plants suggests the notion of future (when there are no plants outside in the winter.) Between the conjunction of the mixed time and the immersion of hypnotic nature, the viewer can potentially slip into another world of the fantastic. It is surely a magical space for me where my desire and fond memories of collecting the plants in this spring merge.

Lackluster/Lacklaster (2009)

Atalya Laufer

1. Lackluster (English, British also: Lacklustre)
adj: 1. Lacking brilliance or radiance. 2.lacking liveliness, vitality, spirit, or enthusiasm; dull.
n.: a lack of Brilliance or vitality.
2. Lacklaster (German)
Varnish vice, Lust for Finishing

For “Lackluster/Lacklaster” a 60sq old and soon to be demolished attic (i) is to be covered with varnish. This writing, as well as the piece it accompanies, attempts to be factual and neutral. It is located within the now, reflecting on the past and the future of the specific location. It uses “gloss over” (ii) and “transparency” (iii) as metaphors and plays with the possible interpretations.

“Lackluster/Lacklaster” takes place in an Attic of a typical residential house in Zinzow. It is located a stone throw away from a dreamy Château, owned by the Vielhabers family. The Vielhabers now own the old house and will soon turn it into their gardeners and tool house. The family who lived here until January this year has moved further away.

I was invited to enter the old ‘deserted’ house and was told I could do “whatever I want” in and within the space. Full with voyeuristic hopes, I went in, hoping to find something about the people who lived there, about life in Zinzow or life in general. But, as it turned out, I did not. I’ve realised I could not connect to this space in the way I initially wished for. There was nothing I could relate to. But this very disengagement and the odd and perhaps perverse desire to preserve the space as it is and even for a few more days, fascinated me. I recall Derrida in “Archive Fever” talking about the feverish desire for the archive. The fever not so much to enter it and use it, as to have it.1 And so it turned out that I have decided to preserve the space in its current condition. As mentioned, I was hoping something would jump at me and inspire me. I was not looking for anything in particular and thus I haven’t found anything particularly, only this – the hope to find something, the wanting to see and look at and the ability to look for something there.

The glossy varnish aims to reference the glass cases of the traditional museum, in which objects are aestheticized and robbed of their initial and or practical function. They are treated as symbols for whatever their exhibitors choose to show. Traditionally, the “ethnographic” were labelled in a supposedly minimalist, descriptive and objective fashion. And So, following an age old tradition, I exhibit a very private space that I have no understanding of and make it public.
I like the comical aspect of turning a place, that is often either hidden or meant for storage, not only into a more presentable space, but an exhibition space. Not only is this a dialogue between private and public space, but also between the presentable and the non-presentable…
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(i)ATTIC
is a space found directly below the pitched roof of a house or other building. As attics fill the space between the ceiling of the top floor of a building and the slanted roof, they are known for being awkwardly shaped spaces with exposed rafters and difficult-to-access corners. While some attics are converted as bedrooms or home offices, most attics remain hard to get to and neglected, and are typically used for storage. Attics can also help control temperature in a house by providing a large mass of unmoving air. Hot air rising from lower floors of a building often gets trapped in the attic, further compounding their reputation for inhospitability. However in recent years many attics have been insulated to help decrease heating costs.

(ii)GLOSSOVER
1.an explanation or translation, by means of a marginal or interlinear note, of a technical or unusual expression in a manuscript text.
2.an artfully misleading interpretation
–verb (used with object).
3. to insert glosses on; annotate.
4.to place (a word) in a gloss.
5.to give a specious interpretation of; explain away (often fol. by over or away): to gloss over a serious problem with a pat solution.

(iii)TRANSPARENCY
as used in the humanities and Pilatian theories, when used in a social context, implies openness, communication, and accountability. It is a metaphorical extension of the meaning a “transparent” object is one that can be seen through. Transparent procedures include open meetings, financial disclosure statements, the freedom of information legislation, budgetary reviews, audits, etc.
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GLOSSARY
1. a list of terms in a special subject, field, or area of usage, with accompanying definitions
GLOSS
1. Brightness or luster of a body proceeding from a smooth surface; polish
2. A specious appearance; superficial quality or show.
3. To give a superficial luster or gloss to; to make smooth and shining; as, to gloss cloth.
4. A foreign, archaic, technical, or other uncommon word requiring explanation.
5. An interpretation, consisting of one or more words, interlinear or marginal; an explanatory note or comment; a running commentary.
6. A false or specious explanation.
7. To render clear and evident by comments; to illustrate; to explain; to annotate.
8. To give a specious appearance to; to render specious and plausible; to palliate by specious explanation.
9. To make comments; to comment; to explain.
10. To make sly remarks, or insinuations.
LACK
-Noun
1.deficiency or absence of something needed, desirable, or customary.
2.something missing or needed.
–verb (used with object)
3.to be without or deficient in..
4.to fall short in respect of.
verb (used without object)
5. to be absent or missing, as something needed or desirable: Three votes are lacking to make a majority.
DUST
–noun
1.earth or other matter in fine, dry particles.
2.a cloud of finely powdered earth or other matter in the air.
3.any finely powdered substance.
4.the substance to which something, as the dead human body, is ultimately reduced by disintegration or decay; earthly remains.
5.a. ashes, refuse. (British)
6.a low or humble condition.
7.anything worthless.
8.disturbance; turmoil.
9.the mortal body of a human being.
10.a single particle or grain.
–verb (used with object)
1.to wipe the dust from
2.to sprinkle with a powder or dust
3.to strew or sprinkle (powder, or other fine particles
4.to soil with dust; make dusty.
–verb (used without object)
1.to wipe dust from furniture, woodwork, etc.
2.to become dusty.
3.to apply dust or powder to a plant, one’s body.
DUST COVER
noun
1.a paper jacket for a book; a jacket on which promotional information is usually printed
2.a large piece of cloth used to cover furniture that is not in use for a long period
3.a removable plastic protective covering for a piece of equipment
ARCHIVE
1. A place or collection containing records, documents, or other materials of historical interest.
2. A repository for stored memories or information
GERMAN:
LACK- lacquer, enamel varnish, varnish
LASTER – vise, vice
VIELHABER – the one who has a lot.