Client: Kunstverein Kohlenhof
Location: Nuremberg, Germany
Completion date: 2022
Artwork budget: $2,500
Project Team
Head of Kunstverein Kohlenhof
Daniel Bartmeyer
Kunstverein Kohlenhof
Head of Kunstverein Kohlenhof
Inge Gutbrod
Kunstverein Kohlenhof
Artist
Stefan Reiss
Studio Stefan Reiss
Designer / Engineer (Construction / Animation)
Karsten Schuhl
Assistant
Seungyeon Jo
Assistant
David Mühlberger
Overview
An installation for Kunstverein Kohlenhof 2022 //
The installation O.T. 1137 was developed especially for the Kunstverein Kohlenhof and occupied the rear room with its enormous ceiling height. The centrepiece of the artwork is a wide paper web that was suspended in the room as if floating. Surrounding the web is an exciting ensemble of wooden beams and boards. A new animation was made for the room installation, which is divided into three levels: the so-called background behind the paper web, the paper web itself and all the wooden objects in the so-called foreground. The main animation consists of a series of alternating colour fields, which have their origin in a colour alphabet developed by the artist. Each letter of the Latin alphabet is assigned a specific tone of colour.
Goals
In addition to wood, I wanted to work with paper for the first time in this installation, an extremely fragile material that caused some problems during construction. Due to its own weight caused by gravity, the first paper web tore, sank to the floor and could not be reused. Only a wooden construction behind the paper web, invisible to the viewer, brought the desired stability. Another challenge was the three projection layers, which had to be punched out by precise video mapping. I also had to keep an eye on the complex video animation of about 20 minutes.
Process
Through the Kunstverein's personal invitation, I was sure of absolute support from the very beginning. Daniel Bartmeyer and Inge Gutbrod, who run the Kunstverein, made the complex installation possible in the first place. But other members of the Kunstverein also support the installation and the supervision of the artworks during the exhibition period. Many thanks to the entire Kunstverein!
Additional Information
As with many of my recent projects, Karsten Schuhl has supported me with great technical know-how and virtuoso animation. The animations of the installation at Kunstverein Kohlenhof are the basis for the large colour surfaces of the animation for TRANSFORMATION XYZ during the "Blue Night" 2023. They also provide a direct link between indoor and outdoor installation.