SEIDENPUDELSPITZ - A PROJECT OF SILIXENAG

CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

JOHANN SCHUIERER, CHRISTA PAWLOFSKY

SEIDENPUDELSPITZ - A PROJECT OF SILIXENAG Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

Seidenpudelspitz - a project of SILIXENAG

Jean Paul in Bayreuth SILIXENAG took the chance to us the 250th anniversary of Jean Paul on 21th of March 2013 as source for an art-project and to place the activities into the center of Friedrichstrasse in Bayreuth.

The author Jean Paul Friedrich Richter (1963-1825) used to live for many years in this street. The architecture is nearly completely conserved in its historic entity. This part of the city looks indeed nearly the same as during Jean Paul´s life. 15 artists were invited to create a work of art refering to Jean Paul and to Bayreuth. Various sites within the buildings, hallways, backgardens, facades were provided by inhabitants and owners. By means of art a correlation with work and life

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SILLIXEN AG – from left: Johann Schuierer Christa Pawlofsky Werner Geister Lena Naumann Stephan Moers

CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

of Jean Paul arouse avoiding at the same time illustration as a traditional form of comment of art on literature.

The multilayered affinity of artists towards Jean Paul is difficult to mail down. Text of art is the visuable work of art. It´s language situated on a different layer as literature, text composed of words. The pictorial, associative, abstract or gestural text of art opens new spaces of perception and initiates research options. In cooperation with the university of Bayreuth, Iwalewa Institute, Lena Naumann accompagnied the project and investigated in her bachelor work various options of art in public space.

Sam Hopkins from Kenia, Ika Wato from Poland, from Germany the artists Martin Fürbringer, Utta Hagen, Kornelia Hoffmann, Patricia Lambertus, Ruth Loibl, Phillip Moll, Christian Psyk, Heidrun Schimmel, Robert Siebenhaar, Andrea Sohler, Christa Varadi, Annette Voigt and Rainer Zitta followed the invitation of SILIXENAG and presented their art works on two weekends before and after the birthday of Jean Paul.

Each of the 15 artists chose a site in Friedrichstrasse for her or his contribution. Every work of art was created particularly for “Seidenpudelspitz” 1.The four opening days of the exposition were to frame the birthday producing a performative setting similar to a theatre production. Art was to open a communicative space. The street becoming temporarily pedestrian area turned into a stage for a festivity event like in baroque theatre tradition conciliating between the different genres of art, literature, theatre and of course as well the art of eating and drinking in the adjacent pubs.

SILIXENAG ...is a group of artists in Bayreuth. The members of the group are Werner Geister, Stephan Moers, Lena Naumann, Christa Pawlofsky, Johann Schuierer. The aim of SILIXENAG is the vitalisation of art by new concepts of exhibiting and to express visions apart from the achievements of museums and established shows of art. The site of the exhibition is hereby of central significance. Concise sites of everyday life have been places of origin to projects of SILIXENAG resulting in

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www.seidenpudelspitz.de

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CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

temporary, unique and performative presentation of art. SILIXENAG´s former projects took place in a drugstore, a financial office, a busstation, a vacant cinema.

“Seidenpudelspitz”

“Seidenpudelspitz” is one of the numerous newly created words of Jean Paul that are characteristic for his stile. It is found in his text Leben Fibels 2.When SILIXENAG started to discuss the concept of this new project it was like an ignition spark to choose as titel a neologism from a text of Jean Paul. Phantasy and humor of Jean Paul, favorite of numerous women at his lifetime, were suddenly there, funny and serious, visible and ambiguous at the same time. The title “Seidenpudelspitz” helped a lot to get in touch with Jean Paul, not only the members of SILIXENAG, but as well many other people, like officials, inhabitants, visitors, artists. It gave rise to visions, not only to visions of art but as well to practical work and to economical efforts.

Who was Jean Paul ...- Stephan Müller characterizes him in his text “Jean Paul als unruhiger Mieter in Bayreuth” – ( Jean Paul as unsettled tenant in Bayreuth): “In November 1813 the author himself returned to his beloved Friedrichstraße, that for instance pleases him much more than the “Gassengedärm” (neologism by Jean Paul, in Engl. approximately: alleywaybowels) of Nuremberg. The House of Schwabacher( at that time Friedrichstrasse 385, today Friedrichstrasse 5 – Jean-PaulApotheke) should become his 8th and last residence. The building was constructed between 1740 and 1750 – like most buildings of this street –

by St. Pierre, who was the architect of the Opernhaus of the markgrave Wilhelmine and Neues Schloss as well. Jean Paul in 1823: “At the end of January I took a walk in the garden of the Schwabacher house – better for my lungs and my head than any medicine.”

In the house of the jewish banker, who had moved to Bayreuth from Schwabach, he wrote on 24th of November 1813 – the year of birth of Richard Wagner – the preamble to “Phantasiestücken in Callots Manier” 2

Jean Paul:Leben Fibels. Insel TB, Frankfurt a.M., 1989

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CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Thus Jean Paul finally became part of the history of Bayreuth. In this preamble he wrote: “Sun-god you threw into mankind with your right the art of poetry with your left musical art, so far to two human beeings fair well apart, oh we are still awaiting for a man composing music and writing poems for a true opera.” Just in Bayreuth the waiting should be accomplished. Richard Wagner, wo was twelve years of age at the day of death of Jean Paul, would close the circle.” 3

The development of SILIXENAG

In its start around 2005 there was a small group of three artists in Bayreuth, Achim Eichholz, Roland Schön, Johann Schuierer. They used to meet in pubs discussing vehemently on art. A term turning up sponaneously during the following disscussions should become on the spot the name of the group: Silixen. Silixen, a small village in Nordrhein-Westfalen, thus became patron. AG ( German: Arbeitsgemeinschaft, Engl.: working group ) characterises the way of being involved with each other and working together.

At some time the idea came up for an exhibition in a vacant departement store. The task of an exhibition was to pone more questions and to create a conceptual background for intention and further action. What would be possible apart from and at a sufficient distance to established institutional exhibiting? In 2006 Sonntagsausflug was realised as a first project in a vacant department store.

SilixenAG and Harald Szeemann

Harald Szeemann was first to free himself from institutional art exhibitions. He organised his life as “Ausstellungsmacher” (Engl.: artexhibition-maker) and became the rolemodel for SILIXENAG. “Art is a public affair too and that means that we may talk about a common event. As art is expanding from studios and white cubes into town and public space a highliy dialogic tension will emerge in “public

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Stephan Müller: Jean Paul als unruhiger Mieter in Bayreuth. Veröffentlichung mit freundlicher Genehmigung des Autors, 2009, www.silixenag.de

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CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

affairs”(“res publica”). The double vision of art and town is given birth, not aiming at harmony but playing with desire of provocation and challenge. Art itself uses its potency as disturbance, interruption, baffled efforts, contradiction. Following the slogan: “Allowed to irritate”.”

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The consequence was to continue looking for urban sites, spaces and rooms usually not dedicated to present art. The aim was to make people of any age, any social layer curios about art, people who normally are not likely to visit museums and art-exhibitions. The discussion about significant value in cities should enlarge and continue far beyond the old-fashioned and vague term Kunst am Bau – (Engl: Art on Buildings).

SILIXENAG and the new way to expose art

“The new way to expose” was 2007 a slogan in the journal Kunstforum 5.The following article “The new way to expose II” was published in 2008 6.In 2008 SILIXENAG realised Parallelaktion in the finance office in Bayreuth. For SILIXENAG these publications were signals, that on a broad frame these activities were object of international discussion.The enormous outlay in time and effort and the linked insecurities were reassured by these publications. Predominatly the reactions of the employees in the finance office and the visitors affirmed the aim of SIIXENAG. Two projects GlühwürmchenFeuersamalamander (2008) and noCenter (2012) follwed.

Meanwhile it is proven that many contemporary artists attempt to have the presentation of their work at their disposal. And that they cannot be satisfied exclusively by walls and spaces. The so called museal “white cube” is no longer the ideal and necessary condition for exhibitions. For example the american artist Donald Judd has been considering since 1977 “for protection of my art” possibilities of exhibiting and

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Paolo Bianchi: Stadtkunst als res publica. Kunstforum 212, 2011 Kunstforum 186,2007 Kunstforum 190, 2008

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CYBEREmpathy ISSUE 4/2013. Contemporary Art in Public Space Johann Schuierer, Christa Pawlofsky, Seidenpudelspitz – A Project of Silixenag

presenting 7.During the following years he constructed in Marfa, Texas his own museum according to purely artistic needs and necessities.

Not all artists can be expected to find sites. This remains mission of exhibition-makers in cooperation with artists.

SILIXENAG in Bayreuth

The recent project “Seidenpudelspitz” has given evidence again: Exhibiting at the right time in the right sites means amplification of art.

It means to give art back its power to evoke sensations and sensitivities, to produce a creative transitory space. It is to enable art to evolve ascending powers of giving raise to communication – for visitors, artists, citizens, and of course for exhibitionmakers. It helps to win the city back as a cultural space, to reopen the mind of citizens for the culture of their own town they had turned at times indifferent to charched within consumer habits.

The artists of “Seidenpudelspitz” made a present to the townspeople of Bayreuth – especially to approximately 3000 visitors who came.

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Chinatti: Das Museum von Donald Judd. Köln, 2010

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