As a video series and multimedia installation, Notes on Shapeshifters and Formbenders examines invisibly traumatized landscapes. To understand the entanglements of climate, natural and cultural history in parallel, the project creates speculative-fictional scenarios based on analyses of current political and ecological developments, entwined with historical research. Of particular interest is the early modern period during the Little Ice Age, which not only significantly changed the flora and fauna with a climatic shift of 2 degrees, but also had a major impact on the cultural history and hints to what to expect in the near future. The emergence of the shapeshifter in the the video series operates as a consequence of current developments and as a figure for thinking: a model of porous embodiment, of cross-species contamination and destabled binaries that lives in constant adaptation in a close dialogue with its surrounding.
Chapter #3 THE LORD
The video is an investigation of the rules and laws that shaped social interactions in early visions of urbanity specifically in the area of the artist's hometown in the 13th century. In this particular area and time, many settlements were granted city rights for the first time. Usually forming around river crossings, monasteries, or castles, the basic prerequisite to becoming a city was the existence of a church or chapel. With the new status as a city, citizens inherently obtained the right to execute weekly markets. Inseparably linked to the market rights was the duty of a court system. In this context, the formal understanding of a city in its birth hour is basically a depressing triad of church, market, gallows.
Chapter #3 THE LORD responds to these early ideas of urban coexistence as a nightmarish horror sequence with a focus on the ruling local lords. Embedded in an analysis of classic nature/culture dualisms, the city lord develops a kind of psychotic neurosis, especially toward anything organic, round, unorganized, or uncategorized. The work appropriates from a Lovecraftian cosmos in order to expose the inherent xenophobic ideas as such and instead direct them against the city lord himself. Chapter #3 THE LORD is an invitation to rethink ideas of occupying space.
Map #1-5
The prints are composed of historical maps, drawings, documents of the place where I grew up, collaged with digital 3D models. The archival footage in the backgrounds shows historical rules, rights and agreements that designed the place; the former commons; relevant historical trading routes; a protocol of the last witch trial that took place at the local court tree.
