The Political Sphere in Art Practices (2013 – 2016)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices

An interview web project by Martin Krenn

Project

The website project ”The Political Sphere in Art Practices” is offering key findings, which were gained from interviews that artist Martin Krenn conducted with experts of the field of social practice art. The interviewees are Grant Kester, Margit Czenki, Christoph Schäfer, Roger Behrens, Neala Schleuning, Mary Jane Jacob, Gregory Sholette and Nora Sternfeld.
The project provides an interactive dialogical platform constructed as a modular system of questions, answers and categories. It serves as an artistic research tool for artists, critics, academics and other people interested in the subject. Krenn offers a meditative and contemplative way of discussing art theory and art practice.

Interface

The original transcripts of the interviews were transformed by the artist into a new format – a kind of “virtual dialogue” consisting of short video clips made of quotes from the transcribed interviews, still images of the interview site as well as other visual material related to the content of the statements. Users can access the clips and comment on them through a user interface that is conceived like a storyboard. This unique web interface was programmed by the web artist Roland Rust exclusively for this project: Every question and answer is related to a specific image. A short text, that is worded either as a question or an answer as well, serves as a headline outlining the content of the respective interview quote. This allows to, storyboard alike, preview the dialogues around the topics Avant-garde, Culture Industry, Political art, Social practice and Neoliberalism. By clicking on an image of the “storyboard” it becomes visible in color, and a video clip displaying the whole statement is accessed, spoken by voice artists Naoimh Tuohy or David Dempsey. Some of the statements relate to more than one topic. In that case, one may skip between different dialogues.

Approach

With one exception – Grant Kester, with whom Krenn talked via Skype — Krenn visited all the interview partners in person. The meeting place, which is regarded by Krenn as important as it subtly influences every form of communication, was suggested by the interviewees. After the meeting, Krenn took photographs of the respective site of the location. These images form the integral visual part of the video pieces of the website.
The whole project was developed over the period of three years and became a web of complex theoretical thoughts. In light of the calm voice of the speakers Naoimh Tuohy and David Dempsey combined with concrete visual material the project invites the recipient to spend some time with it and to gain a unique aesthetical as well as intellectual experience.

INTERVIEW TRANSCRIPTS

Grant Kester 2013 (Eng)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices/?page_id=1878

Gregory Sholette 2014 (Eng)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices/?page_id=1885

Mary Jane Jacob 2014 (Eng)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices/?page_id=1893

Neala Schleuning 2014 (Eng)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices/?page_id=1899

Nora Sternfeld 2014 (Ger)

http://martinkrenn.net/the_political_sphere_in_art_practices/?page_id=1862

Roger Behrens 2013 (Ger)