J A Y   R E C H S T E I N E R       jayrechsteiner@hotmail.com                                                                                                                                                  ............................................................................................................................................................................................... home     about me     gallery     contact ............................................................................................................................................................................................... Site-specific sculptural installation - VERSUCHE (German for attempts)              >> back to installations Introduction The work and the process of the construction is inspired by the works of Marina Abramovic, Pina Bausch and contemporary dancer Alicia Rodriquez-Campi, the Codigo Dance Project (http://www.dsway.co.uk/codigodanceproject/about.html and DanceWork) and many others I had the pleasure of following. The constructions are process and time-based and can be adapted to site-specific requirements. By playing with various materials (mainly artificial, synthetic material, incorporating stories & interconnecting accidental events I attempt to create constructions that reveal my thought process while working on a specific theme. Strict rules in terms of material, positions & actions are to be introduced, implemented and broken in order to demolish my boundaries. I see the constructive process like a movement/dance piece – I use the material like a choreographer uses dancers and see a similar mindset in terms of work & train of thought in the works of Pina Bausch and Marina Abramovic. It is poetic, full of physical impact, theatrical, playful and engaging. One action leads to another Every construction has a performative element such as for example me cutting up bits of previous construction in order to recycle/re-use the bits for a new construction (cleansing process).The constructions are to be experienced as long as they stand. Once I dismantle them, they are gone. Fragments of the constructions can be re-used for new work. My whole work within this practice is inter-connected and to be seen as one. Engagement of the public The public is welcome to wander about within the constructions and even touch & play with them as I attempt to establish a connection between the work and the visitors. The playful constructions have a childish and honest character due to the material used and the fact that I am not lying - say try to hide faults, cables etc. I would like to set free the suppressed child within, the little playful boy or girl inside all of us. Parameters / dogma / rules of process I would like to establish parameters within which the construction takes place. In order to do so I have set up a list of rules that can be altered (remove and add rules) through public interaction. The public is welcome to observe me at work and and discuss the process actively. Depending on the outcome of the conversations I will change / adapt / break the rules. List of initial rules every step of the construction needs to be connected (physically or / and conceptually) to the previous stage every action needs to be based on a rational idea / reason mistakes and errors need to be integrated the principles of visual art are to be observed (unity, movement, rhythm & pattern, harmony, variety etc.) Every photo is an intervention, a stage (below this text) The photos VERSUCHE below (Versuche - attempts) depict every step of the construction of my first attempts. Ideally the installations are to be constructed within an empty room.   UPDATE 10 Sep 2013 Reduction to its minimum: The 'finalized' constructions are to be reduced to their minimum or a minimalist outcome is to be achieved. Series 00 The VerSuche 00-series are large-scale, interactive, site-specific & thematic installations, which at their core, seek to explore the workings of the artist's mind whilst symbolically giving the public ownership and responsibility for their community, their environment and its regeneration, by involving them in the artist's creative process and engaging them in the geographical and historical life of the area and their part in its past, present and future. process / execution A set-up can last from several hours to weeks or even months. It is a process of constant construction and deconstruction, analysis and study, in the form of accumulation, creation, fragmentation, improvisation, which eventually leads to a final installation. Each step is based on a previous step & any other external inputs (through public interaction, contemporaneous news/media events, changes in the weather etc). I want to inter-connect thoughts and ideas, facts and conclusions in order to achieve a crystallized end product. The process incorporates different media such as video, conceptual practice (reading, setting up a database, a collection of artefacts, a physical library etc.) and an investigation into the site through experimentation with found materials and equipment, eventually leading to a resolution in the form of an installation. outcome Note that I would like the outcome of each installation to be aesthetically relevant without the sacrifice of my artistic & conceptual integrity. Although the process falls into the same category as the sprawling installations of planned chaos and orchestrated arrangments of recycled detritus by artists such as Tomoko Takahashi or Sarah Sze, there are important differences with my project. My intentions differ from these artists in so far as the installation would not constitute the only outcome of the work. Importantly, in VerSuche 00, the public is to be encouraged to interact throughout the process. In addition to and in parallel with the completed installation, four major photographs or drawings are to be exhibited, together with documentation of the installation process. Visually, the photographs/drawings themselves will relate to, but not be necessarily descriptive or representative of the installation, rather they will act as a kind of conclusion or full-stop, a derivation, redaction and crystallization of the process. An opportunity for the public to simultaneously view both the completed installation and the resulting photographs/drawings is important as it will encourage reflection and act as a conduit for discussion between the artist and visitors.                                           Cross with missing top   Light Infiltration   conquering occupied   Dead body and invasion of parasites Standing vertically and being attached to one another   One side spiked - one side not spiked ne side spiked - one side not spiked   Pavlo's tower Mother secret flying thought parasite two pieces of wood three pieces   The Nest Within             Versuche (attempts) (back to top) Click on the tn. It will take you to SkyDrive. No need to be sign in in order to view the images. All works displayed here are attempts to create and explore the practice of sculptural installations. Erster Versuch, Feb 2013 Zweiter Veruch, Feb 2013 Dritter Versuch, Feb 2013 Vierter Versuch, Feb 2013 material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys PVC tubes paper masking tape gaffa tape office pegs plastic shower rings Note that the audio background in this slide show is not part of the installation. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Sinfonia no. 38, K. 504 "Praga"   material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys PVC tubes paper masking tape gaffa tape office pegs plastic shower rings pencil   material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys PVC tubes paper wrapping paper masking tape office pegs pencil material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys PVC tubes masking tape office peg pencil film projection: loop of rain hitting the pavement and people walking past, Summer 2012, near Finsbury Park Station, London video of the installation Fuenfter Versuch, Feb 2013 Sechster Versuch, Feb 2013 Siebter Versuch, Feb 2013 Individual works, Mar 2013 material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys masking tape projection projection: Barcelona from Yves's and Corina's balcony material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets polystyrene bubbles (from sheet of polystyrene) wooden canvas keys masking tape projection pencil PVC tube office peg wooden canvas keys Sechster Versuch is based on Fuenfter Versuch - continuous construction of Fuenfter Versuch projection: Barcelona from Yves's and Corina's balcony material used: corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets wooden canvas keys masking tape projection theme: Pavlo's Dogs and War A part of the construction in Sechster Versuch is the physical starting point. Projection: US Navy Training Film - Hand to Hand Combat Part I, II & III(1942) film installation sound: US Navy Training Film and noise from re-vamped stereo (Sardine & Tobleroni memorial) ; material: mainly corrugated transparent/ white plastic sheets   Pavlov's Dogs of War, March 13 Useless Instructions - work 1.0     Pavlov's Dogs of War - exhibition on 19th of March 2013 at Mori + Stein Gallery, London, curated by XXXora - first attempt to show work in public exhibition titled: Pavlov's Cave title: Useless Instructions - work 2.0: spinning lamp shade, tube tower with remote control & instruction board video of spinning lamp shade:           Copyright © 2006, Jay Rechsteiner. All Rights Reserved.