KunstWerk 1998

23 Apr 1998 : Siemens Motor Repair Factory, Nürnberg, Germany

This performance was the outcome of a four-week residency in Industry with the Electronics Company Siemens. It was the pilot of the ongoing Kultur Program series. Sound Artist Rik Rue and I worked in the actual working motor repair factory to develop a site-specific performance based in many locations of this big space. We responded in many ways to the workers, sounds, images and materials available to us to represent an alternative working image of the factory underworld. The theme became “between man and machine” as I inserted my body into many mechanised situations as a ghost in the works. We also visited other factories in the region run by Siemens in Nuremberg Furth Ehrlangen triangle. Pertinent to me was not only Siemens’ relationship with the Nazi regime, and the site of the rallies and of course later the Nuremberg trials, but also to understand the ongoing history of the expulsion of the Jews from the region, in waves, over many centuries. We were in Bavaria, where beer can be drunk at lunchtime at work and is legally “food” and where men wear wore moustaches. Fascinating also was that my lodging was on Kaspar Hauser Strasse, the street where Kaspar Hauser had actually been imprisoned. We set up a very ambitious performance, performed after hours in the factory, using many locations with a new sound design and performance for each one, and requiring many lighting and audio installations and kilometres of cable. We had a fantastic technician, Sven. Our program , although quite ambitious, was nonetheless shared with amazing American percussionist Robyn Schulkowsky.



Project Details
Dates 23 Apr 1998
Duration 1 hour
Collaborators Rik Rue
Producer Siemens Kultur Program
Category duets
Credits Curator : Sigrid Gareis; Technician : Sven Hoenke; Video : Arts & Facts