Von Sinnen

You’ve been in Chemnitz (travelling) for a few weeks now:
What are your impressions of the city? Did you notice anything in particular? Why? What differences do you see compared to your home cities of Dresden and Hamburg, for example?

Anna: “For me, Chemnitz is all about having lots of space. Wide streets, big houses, few people. That leaves a lot of space. I’m quite impressed by all the different cultural initiatives that use this space to shape the diverse subculture and always seek a strong connection to the urban society of Chemnitz. In contrast to Dresden, which has been almost completely renovated to death in recent years and mainly maintains its baroque heritage, stylistic breaks are visible in Chemnitz. I am reminded much more of the GDR past by certain buildings or monuments from that time. I enjoy that in a strange way. There is not one image, one aesthetic of Chemnitz. Chemnitz is like a jigsaw puzzle in which individual pieces have been lost over time and replaced by new ones. A cluster without a centre.”

As part of the 2020 Von Sinnen dialogue fields, you are focusing on the sense of touch: are there any impressions that you draw from the Sonnenberg in particular? What are they specifically? How are these reflected in your work?

Anna: “Touch is the sense that locates me in the world. By taking in information through touch, I recognise the temperature of a surface, feel whether it is soft or hard and at what distance I am from an object. This is initially independent of the exact surroundings. I use touch to relate my body to its surroundings. That is crucial for me. Moving the body into the centre, so to speak, and positioning it. In this case in Sonnenberg. Where do I walk past quickly? Where do I want to linger? Which surface structures have I perhaps never noticed before? Which corners and edges offer space for the body to adapt and hide in? Which surfaces are wide and large so that they can be used as a stage?”

Can you give us a small preview of the work in progress? What can visitors to the presentation week from 31 October to 6 November look forward to?

Anna: “I want to try something at DIALOGFELDER that I’ve never done before. Normally, my work is characterised by minimalism, precision and artistic dialogue; I also mainly produce pieces for the (theatre) stage. This time I’m going into the urban space and working intensively with a special material: foam. I’ve basically looked for an oversized costume as a performance partner. The object consists of different polygonal shapes (conception and construction: Tobias Eisenkrämer) and is a bit bigger than me. I am inside the object, so my body disappears almost completely, but moves the material from the inside. There are also several holes that I use to give the foam creature arms, legs and a head. In this way, I feel the city, the Sonnenberg.”

You’ve been in Chemnitz (travelling) for a few weeks now:
What are your impressions of the city? Did you notice anything in particular? Why? What differences do you see compared to your home cities of Dresden and Hamburg, for example?

Heiko: “Chemnitz was a blank slate for me. I didn’t know the label Raster-Noton or Raster-Media and nothing else apart from the events of 2018. Compared to Hamburg, the extreme vacancy rate here on Sonnenberg is an absolute extreme. There are no vacancies in Hamburg and entire houses are empty here. Nevertheless, I got to know Chemnitz with enthusiasm. The “Gegenwarten/Presences” exhibition and the “Hang zur Kultur” event were part of my first week in Chemnitz. There was also a wonderful bike tour through Chemnitz with the kerbside lobby and a warm introduction to Galerie Borssenanger and Galerie OSCAR in Weltecho.”

As part of the 2020 Von Sinnen dialogue fields, you are devoting yourself to the sense of hearing: are there any impressions that you draw from the Sonnenberg in particular? What are they specifically? How are these reflected in your work?

Heiko: “I’ve been working as a sound installation artist since 2007. My focus has long been on the sounds of urban space, although I very rarely exhibit outside of a gallery/museum. I position ventilation/air conditioning systems, radiators, fluorescent tubes or drops of water in downpipes in exhibitions. I am therefore delighted to have been invited to work directly in an urban space. With a decibel meter in my hand, I have taken many walks through the neighbourhood, and the results of my tours will be presented from 31 October.”

Can you give us a brief preview of the resulting work? What can visitors to the presentation week from 31 October to 6 November look forward to?

Heiko: “In my work “Schallleistungspegel Chemnitz-Sonnenberg”, the ticking of traffic lights, the humming of ventilation systems, the whirring of electricity boxes and other noise generators in public spaces are measured. A sticker informs passers-by that there is something to hear here. To find the places where I measured and labelled the sound power level on the Sonnenberg, you get a map of the neighbourhood with markings and further information.”

You’ve been in Chemnitz (travelling) for a few weeks now:
What are your impressions of the city? Did you notice anything in particular? Why? What differences do you see compared to your home city of Berlin, for example?

Tainá: “I’m happy to see so many gardening initiatives and people who want to build a more sustainable, inclusive and harmonious society. I have met people from different backgrounds living in the city and they are all so strong and inspiring – from the Haus der Kulturen, to the Lila Villa and its international community, to all Germans and locals. I hadn’t expected a city with so much space and large avenues. I like that, as a symbolic image. Creation needs space. Change needs space. So when I think about these two things (the space in the city and these people I met), I think that the perhaps prevailing negative image of the city can be changed for the better.

The work that Klub Solitaer e.V. is doing with Dialogue Fields is one of the key projects on this path to change. The idea of bringing together six artists from outside the city to work with the local community and encourage thinking about public spaces is a powerful tool to bring people together for positive change.
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Compared to Berlin, I see similarities in the garden initiatives and the growing number of young people who are willing to have a “small garden” that brings more sustainable ideas and the goal of making cities greener.”

As part of the 2020 Von Sinnen dialogue fields, you are focusing on the sense of taste: are there any impressions that you draw from the Sonnenberg in particular? What are they specifically? How are these reflected in your work?

Tainá: “I think the district and its neighbourhood are very beautiful. I like the view of the city from the “top” of the Sonnenberg. Sometimes a mysterious fog covers parts of the buildings at sunset. The view of the rooftops is breathtaking. My favourite grocery shop in the city “Peacefood” is located here – my strongest connection to food here. They have a good selection of ingredients and the diversity is visible, tasty and you can understand through the sense of taste the importance of preserving diversity on our planet. Flavour is one of the most compelling senses we have. I think it’s the sense we trust and understand the most.”

Can you give us a little preview of the work that will be created? What can visitors to the presentation week from 12 to 18 December look forward to?

Tainá: “I’m working on an installation consisting of seven large prints (3.5m x 2m) and seven videos, in collaboration with people from Chemnitz from different backgrounds. The installation uses the self to unpack concepts that reflect identity and symbolism. The individuals or so-called “entities” depicted on the prints act as a surface to sensitise comments on issues related to diversity. The visual embodiment of food unfolds personal and collective identity, and connections between elements and areas that have been a theme since the dawn of humanity.”

You’ve been in Chemnitz (travelling) for a few weeks now:
What are your impressions of the city? Did you notice anything in particular? Why? What differences do you see compared to your home city of Berlin, for example?

Klara: “Chemnitz, the “land” of empty buildings. I’m really impressed by the amount of space and the empty buildings throughout the city. This emptiness gives me the impression of unlimited possibilities – to make and let things happen. It’s as if the empty spaces are fuelling my daydreams. Inevitably, many questions about space and living come to mind: “What would happen if I moved to Chemnitz? Would I one day be able to afford to buy an entire building in this city? Could I take up residence in one of these buildings and convert it into a giant odour laboratory? Would people from Berlin come round if I got a minibus at the weekends?” Fantasising about the possibilities of the space. What also fascinates me is the large number of gardens and how committed the people who run them are. In a city that seems quite quiet and tranquil, I think community building and meeting places are a must to keep it connected.“

As part of the 2020 Von Sinnen dialogue fields, you are focusing on the sense of smell: are there any impressions that you draw from the Sonnenberg in particular? What are they specifically? How are these reflected in your work?

Klara: “At the moment, I find the smells of the Sonnenberg neighbourhood quite neutral. As the spaces are so spacious and hardly any gatherings of people are possible at the moment due to the COVID regulations, the odours are dissipating. I wonder whether the urban planning and the almost non-existent odour go hand in hand. During the wonderful tour that Octavio and Lisa from Bordsteinlobby e.V. organised on the first few days in the city, I learned that Chemnitz used to smell a lot like Trabant oil and that pollution from the surrounding open-cast mines was virtually taking over the city.
So the (apparent) odour neutrality must be something really important for everyone and for the history of the city. It’s almost like a figurehead, a kind of beacon. The neutral scent reminds us to forget and leave behind who we were and hints at who we want to be.
The tabula rasa or white-scented canvas sparks my imagination, just like the empty buildings do. What would happen if a foreigner – which I am – not only rethought the smells of Sonnenberg, but also recreated them? What if I told a fictional story of imaginative scents of the Sonnenberg?”

Can you give us a little preview of the work that will be created? What can visitors to the presentation week from 12 December to 18 December look forward to?

Klara: “Because of the current world madness, I’ve been very interested in self-care experiences lately and how to create rituals – how to give people space to process everything we’re going through in the art context.
For example, in Berlin I created an all-white space, including a large white cushion (7 metres) in a gallery space in Berlin-Mitte. The space was scented with sea and air odours, and I designed a repetitive droning sound to help visitors relax. I wanted people to be able to come and stay in the space for as long as they needed to. A break from the pandemic and their private lives.
Here at Sonnenberg, I’m working to combine those self-care practices with the neutral aromas of the neighbourhood. To this end, I have designed a ritual self-care rug that is made from wool. The rug contains various symbols woven into it. They are representations of my own healing and caring practices. I realise that this is very private and not everyone could relate to it, so I want to share my practices and bring them to a more personal (rather than private) level – the connection between the smell of the neighbourhood and what we can do to feel better by imagining what scents we could create together for a better future.”