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psychogeography
by Yilmaz Dziewior.
When Robert Morris
moved from San Francisco to New York in 1960, he not only changed
his place of residence. His artistic work also underwent a transition
by shifting from an "Abstract Expressionism"-oriented form of painting
to a work based on conceptual performances and sculptural strategies.
Once in New York, Morris joined a group of dancers, composers, choreographers,
and artists who were closely connected to the Judson Dance Theater.
The group consisted of-among others-John Cage, Yvonne Rainer and
Robert Rauschenberg. It was during this period that Morris created
his first sculpture -two rectangular columns simply entitled "Two
Columns". Morris chose not to exhibit this work within a typical
art context, but rather, employed the piece in a performance in
New York's Living Theater. For the performance, Morris positioned
one of the columns in the middle of the stage, where it stood upright
for three and a half minutes. At that point, Morris-who was hidden
offstage from the audience-pulled on a string connected to the column,
causing it to fall down. After another three and a half minutes
had passed, the performance came to an end. These two positions
defined the most important basic positions inchoreography-a standing
dancer and a dancer lying down. Actually, Morris had originally
intended to stand inside the hollow column, but had injured himself
during a rehearsal and therefore refrained from using his own body
for the performance. Whenever the two columns are exhibited within
an art context, they are arranged so that one is standing while
the other one is lying horizontally. Such an arrangement emphasizes
their anthropomorphous nature.
In several of Kolding's collages, copies of the "Two Columns" appear.
The artist, however, has cut the top off of the standing column,
causing it to appear like a cube. The rectangular, horizontal column
remains in its original form. Kolding therefore literally circumsizes
the anthropomorphous character of Morris' sculpture, thereby more
poignantly emphasizing its place within the sphere of Minimal Art.
"Untitled (Battered Cubes)", from 1965, is a further sculpture by
Morris which can be found in various Kolding collages. Morris placed
four white cuboids-which taken together suggest the outline of a
pyramid-into a square at equal distance from one another. Similar
to his famous "Mirrored Cubes" from the same year, the fragmented
impression it makes it is a fundamental characteristic of the work.
Several aspects of "Two Columns" and "Untitled (Battered Cubes)"
can be considered analogous to Kolding's own work. Morris' participation
in other artistic areas, such as dance and music, is reflected in
Kolding's work through his preoccupation with electronic music.
One can see turntables and DJs in action in many of his collages.
As Kolding himself has said, he is interested in the analogy between
the steady, often only minimally varying acoustic sequences of electronic
music, the austere grids of modernist architecture, and the reduced
right angle shapes of Minimal Art sculptures.
The additive sequence, or rather the complementary series which
together creates a whole-a decisive characteristic of "Untitled
(Battered Cubes)"-is also a basic principle in several of Kolding's
collages. For instance, some of his works consist of four sheets
of legal-size paper which together make up one work. In the works,
expenses of white space pose a formal contrast to other sheets of
paper which are full of pictures and printed information. Some of
these sheets which are completely covered with large pictures represent
the outer parentheses-to the left and right-of the composition's
entire framework. Or, they may alternate with sheets of paper containing
little content and which are largely defined by their empty white
spaces. This method of framing the left and right sides of the sequence
can be seen in "Untitled", from the year 2000. On the first sheet
of this work, one sees a picture of "Untitled (Battered Cubes)"
at the top, while the bottom half is completely cover! ed by a grandstand
from Copenhagen's soccer stadium-which Kolding regularly visits.
In addition to the spectators, the advertising banners located on
either side of the grandstand make the most striking impression
here. This picture subtly expresses the great degree to which spaces
for leisure time activities filled with large audiences are the
preferred area for companies to advertise. On the next sheet of
paper, in addition to the detailed shot of a mixing panel, one sees
the McDonald's logo-if only in minute form. This logo recurs in
several of Kolding's collages. In the upper right corner of the
picture, one sees a DJ's hands as he or she scratches an album.
The rest of the space on the sheet is empty. The third sheet of
paper is likewise primarily defined by white space, displaying only
small pictures at the top edge of the paper. The viewer sees graffiti,
balconies on high-rise buildings, and a manÕs chest bearing an Adidas
sweatshirt. The fourth and last sheet of this work consists only
of two pictures. The upper half shows an abandoned "Estate Office"
barricaded by wooden boards; the lower half shows young people spraying
graffiti. The discernible appropriation of public space evident
on all four sheets is a theme that runs through all of Kolding's
works. In them, space is always understood as being socially defined.
That social spaces are politicized is not only directly apparent
in the collage pictures, or rather through the picture's subjects,
but is also manifested in slogan-like sentence fragments. Kolding's
large-format collages-reminiscent of the Russian Avant-garde style
from the 20s and 30s-are marked and dominated by a stroke of letters
which, at the same time, also represent the title of each work.
These brief circumlocutions written in black capital letters, such
as "Area Redevelopment Policies," "Spatial Assemblages of Power,"
"Popular and State Discourses of Power" and "Gentrification or Social
Renewal", not only allude to a position informed by critical sociology,
they also unite under one major topic heading the pictures' elements
which originate from rather disparate areas. The collagesÕ individual
elements are derived from such diverse areas as architecture, visual
arts, music, comics, and sports, while the dynamic arrangement of
the picture fragments results in an appellative characteristic style
evoking an agitprop impression, much as the Russian constructivistsÕ
collages did. However, while the messages of the posters of the
1920s and 30s-which were often created specifically for a political
context-were relatively clear, Kolding's statements are more complex
and not necessarily goal-oriented. Kolding's approach also distinguishes
itself from that of artists who addressed similar topics in the
past decade, whose methods took form in more activist- and interventionist-related
activities-artists such as Clegg & Guttmann, Andrea Fraser and Stephen
Willats. Willats' work in particular also explicitly addresses problems
associated with socially neglected suburbs. However, while Willats'
approach is formally constituted by diagrams and explanatory texts,
Kolding's method of widely combining elements is more divergent
and expresses both his interest in the Modernism debate as well
as his preoccupation with the stylization tendencies of youth culture.
Kolding is also concerned with transferring sociological and political
subjects areas into the context of art; however, they are very strongly
connected to his own biographical background and personal preferences.
Kolding's approach unites the privateness of his personal experiences
and interests with the publicness of his immediate social surroundings.
Yet in contrast to so-called context art, Kolding does not apply-to
any major extent-methods such as research and scientifically-oriented
analysis. In this way, his methods of presentation do not seem to
employ the techniques of sociological study. Nevertheless, he does
address the structural transformations of Western cities when he
formulates questions concerning architecture, urbanism, and economics,
and relates them to youth and popular culture. Kolding's collages
reflect aspects of urban representation and the circumstances surrounding
public life, including their mechanisms of exclusion and displacement
characteristic of the gentrification phenomenon, which he also explicitly
names in the title of one of his large collages. Along with these
sociological topics, Kolding also addresses references inherent
to art-as seen in the integration of Minimal Art works and conceptual
art into his collages. Furthermore, it is characteristic of him
to cite precisely those trends in art which developed and shifted
away from autarkical artwork by reflecting on their presentation
within the context of an exhibition context and in their relationship
to the viewer.
In one of the collages consisting of four sheets of paper placed
side-by-side and into which Kolding has integrated Morris' "Two
Columns", one recognizes on the fourth sheet high-rise buildings
containing State-subsidized apartments. One can also see a tree
that is fenced in by concrete. On the second sheet, one sees a group
of architects or city planners working on models and positioned
predominantly above them is a paraphrased statement written in black
letters: "Spatial Assemblages of Power; From Domination to Empowerment."
Even though Kolding thus describes architecture as being a reflection
of social power structures, he nonetheless refrains from making
clear, direct judging. Instead, individual "hints"-such as the absence
of green areas or a tree fenced in by concrete-allude to what Guy
Debord called "psychogeography": "Psychogeography would endeavor
to investigate the exact rules and precise effects of the geographic
milieu which-whether deliberately arranged or not-has a direct effect
on the emotional behavior of an individual."1 It is precisely these
sorts of questions that Kolding addresses in his fragmented depictions
of suburban settlements. Aesthetic improvements such as pictures
on walls, well-intended adventure playgrounds designed by planners,
or car-free zones can be found in his collages, just as the graffiti-filled
walls sprayed by the young inhabitants themselves are located there.
Moreover, the role Kolding's own experiences play should not to
be underestimated here, as he himself grew up in a suburb outside
of Copenhagen himself and therefore personally experienced both
the advantages and disadvantages of living in such settlements.
The feeling of security in a relatively protected milieu that-through
urban development-united both the working and middle classes without
resulting in any major conflict was possible in the suburbs in the
1970s. Nowadays, such a situation is more of an exception. Yet Kolding's
collages do not glorify this atmosphere, but rather, also show the
monotony and wasteland of these areas. In his works, the high-rise
buildings (which are considered by many as inhumane forms of architecture)-with
the language of their rectangular shapes-can be considered to formally
correspond with Minimal Art sculptures. Due to the fact that the
architecture and sculptures are aligned to be the same size in the
pictures, they also appear to be of the same value, thus negating
any discrepancy between everyday surroundings and art. The reference
to Debord is also remarkable in this regard since there is a noticeable,
formal analogy between Kolding's large collages and Guy Debord's
depiction of the "Guide Psychogeographique de Paris"-even though
this results through no deliberate attempt of KoldingÕs. The collages
of the streets and rows of houses in certain areas of Paris which
Debord connected by using arrows alludes to a story of a trip through
the metropolis-where one can imagine a particular event in each
area due to the memories associated with it. Kolding is likewise
interested in the current situation of various areas in the city.
To some extent, he even works "site specifically" since in some
of the cities where he exhibits his work he locates their suburbs,
takes pictures of them, and integrates photocopies of the pictures
into his work. However, one rarely recognizes a subject solely characteristic
for that particular exhibition location. Kolding's intention here
is not about didactic recitation and direct reference; rather, what
results are specifically local allusions that nonetheless refrain
from adhering becoming regionally constrained. Another of Kolding's
methods in addressing local situations is his poster hanging activities.
The posters he hangs up in urban areas are rarely recognizable to
outsiders as artistic interventions, and are usually removed or
covered over! within a short period of time.
Incompatible opposites are united in Jakob Kolding's collages. High
(art) and low (popular culture) are combined on one sheet of paper
or series of sheets. In addition, an equality and simultaneity are
manifested in Kolding's collages through his method of stringing
together formal analogies. His work breaks through every imaginable
idea of a space and time continuum, and infiltrates the conventional
definition of a chronologically and spatially unraveling events
horizon. Incompatible elements, events, and times coincide in Kolding's
works on paper and constitute a new space which is equally enriched
with harsh social reality and utopian potential. In his large-format
collage entitled "Social Exclusion and the Neighbourhood" from the
year 2000, views of concrete high-rise buildings from the 1970s
containing State-subsidized apartments encounter an incunabulum
of 20th century architecture-New York's Seagram Building by Mies
van der Rohe at the beginning of the 50s. However, Kolding's method
of depiction evades a simplistic positional statement regarding
these different buildings. Directly next to these dismal examples
of suburban concrete wasteland, he has placed laughing young people
whose T-shirts reveal that they are fans of a local soccer team.
Kolding photographed these boys during one of his expeditions through
the Copenhagen suburb of his childhood. The collages often show
people in action: young people spraying graffiti, city planners,
soccer players, skateboarders, or DJs' hands at work. Since the
same pictures reappear in various collages, Kolding has created
a personal vocabulary of references which-through the development
of a recognizable signature- makes it possible to combine various
contexts in such a way that a wide array of different topics and
perspectives results.
The process of extracting something from a context and placing it
in a different one is particularly interesting here. People, everyday
objects, as well as works of art undergo a transformation in their
importance and are thus provided with a narrative potential that
would otherwise remain foreign to them. For instance, a floor piece
by Carl Andre is degraded to becoming a sidewalk when brought in
connection with a concrete high-rise, while the space in front of
the building-intended to be the garden and covered in concrete slabs-becomes
a work of Minimal Art.
Kolding's method of producing his collages is remarkable. It includes
both similarities but also fundamental differences to digital compositing-common
among new types of technology such as videos, computer games, and
photos manipulated after they have been shot.2 During this computer-based
work, pictures which already exist are copied and integrated into
a new context. The various elements of a digitally recorded video
are made similar in size so that one is no longer able to recognize
their heterogeneous provenance. Kolding's method is comparable to
the extent that he rarely uses originals, but instead, first copies
them in order to achieve a homogenous color and paper quality in
for his collages. In his large-format collages, Kolding avoids using
original elements so as to attain a homogenous surface for the pictures,
which then stand as one shape in contrast to the white background.
This alignment in size of individual, occasionally incompatible
and disparate elements is re! miniscent of a DJ's endeavor to flow
from one piece of music to the next. Yet in addition to these formal
alignments, there are occasional color originals-especially among
the works consisting of four sheets of paper-that even more clearly
emphasize the dissonance in terms of form and content of that which
is being depicted.
by Yilmaz Dziewior
(from Kunstverein
in Hamburg catalogue)
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