Interview: THEO JANSEN

I first discovered Theo Jansen's work just over a year ago and immediately started correspondence with him. Today, we sat down for what is a key interview in the roster bringing together the worlds of science and art in the most natural and unexpected ways.

Theo Jansen studied physics at the University of Delft, Holland before becoming a painter. After his seven year career in painting, he started work on the UFO project which entailed the creation of an actual flying saucer that flew over Delft in 1980 causing pandemonium in the town and attracting considerable attention to his work.


For more than 10 years now, he has been working on the genesis of new nature in his Strandbeest creations which he envisions becoming completely autonomous, intelligent, wind-powered life forms. As an introduction to this work, here is his presentation on this fascinating project for TED:

Theo Jansen: The art of creating creatures

What prompted you to quit your studies of Physics at the University of Delft and becomes a painter?
I was young of course. The hippy period was there. I was distracted from my study by all these new dreams of people and a lot of friends of mine were artists and so I decided to become one as well and started becoming a painter.


And have you continued painting?
No, it stopped as soon as I started the UFO project at the beginning of the eighties and then the UFO project had such a success also media wise and I had been famous for about three months in my country for that and so I chased it more or less on bigger projects. After that, I couldn't paint anymore, sit in my studio and just paint. It wasn't possible anymore.

Following on from your painting, you seem to have had a desire to “work outside the box” and pursue new forms of expression through the painting machine and light sculptures. How did these projects develop?
After the UFO project, I had to do something more technical things and my interest for physics which has never been away during painting, it was really a rebirth in the technical interest after the UFO so I wanted to make something technical.


The painting machine was something interesting because in those days there were no printers yet so it was quite unusual to paint with a painting machine like that especially as the perspective of the images that came out of the painting machine because it made real size photos in front of the wall so the distance didn't matter at all. If a chair was standing a meter or 100 meters it would be the same size. That was the special thing about the painting machine because you could also make the opposite perspective objects with it so I also made photographs of chairs and tables which were in opposite. Things which were closer were smaller and things which were bigger were further away from the wall so it's just the opposite of normal perspective.

What did you learn from them?
My mind was really going on thinking. It made me change my living just for a lot of dreaming about abstract 3D forms in my head and the possibilities of machines. It really did change my thinking and my attitude. I was asked to write a column for a university magazine that really was sort of, this is a Dutch expression, “a stick behind the door”. That means that someone is standing there beating you up when you don't do your homework.


And did this work have any influence on your Strandbeests?
It surely had as this column really forced me to think about anything in the world and because every time I tried to find new, strange perspectives on reality and in effect, the strandbeests they started off as a column in the newspaper and that is about 18 years ago now and in the first period after that nothing happened. I had written the column and then half a year later, I got the idea of going to the shop and buying some of these tubes. I started playing with it and I did that for an afternoon and in the period of the afternoon, I decided to spend one year on these tubes, on these conduits because I saw so many possibilities in there. It turned out to be more than I could ever think of all those years ago.

"...I discovered that I was making new forms of life and by doing that I hoped to get wiser about our existence and our own forms of life."

With the Strandbeests, you have stated that you are making “new nature”; what is your intention in developing “new nature” and what have you learned from your work on the Strandbeests?
The motivation changed. I started off building robots that could gather sands and build up dunes to save us from the raising of the sea level and during working I discovered that I was making new forms of life and by doing that I hoped to get wiser about our existence and our own forms of life.

I have all kinds of theories about symmetry and about multiplying, the sequences in evolution by doing evolution again and new, I think I discovered a lot about the mechanism behind it.

I wrote about this in my book The Great Pretender where I have written many theories about life.

The Animarus Rhinoceros Transport

Are your creations entirely built according to functional parameters or is there some poetry in their design?
Well, the strange thing is that I don't want to make something beautiful. When I work, I always work on function and it turns out when it's finished, it usually doesn't function that well but I surprise myself how beautiful it appears.

Their forms are very beautiful, very poetic.
There's nothing I can do to that. That's sort of this secret artist in me which I'm not aware of secretly making beautiful things.


You have mentioned that the next step in your work is giving your creations brains. Have you made progress in this phase and what does this entail?
Well, the progress is that the nerve cells don't eat that much any more.

Would you briefly explain the nerve cells to put things in context?
Well, the nerve cells are the element, the basic element of the brain. You could also say it's a sort of computer. In a computer, the nerve cell divides where there is an input or output and my nerve cells work in the way that the input is zero and the output is one so it's the opposite from the input and that means if there is air on the input, pressure on the input there is no pressure on the output.

"...the brain will in future contain a time mechanism which runs parallel with the tides of the sea so they will know in advance when the sea is coming..."

With this principle, you can make a network just like in electronics. And so you can make binary counters, time mechanisms. For instance, the brain will in future contain a time mechanism which runs parallel with the tides of the sea so they will know in advance when the sea is coming up so they can go to the dunes before that.

Also, they have sensors which feel the water of the sea. That works quite well these days. They have a sort of tube which is going very close to the ground sucking in air all the time. As soon as it comes into the water, it swallows the water of the sea and then it feels the resistance of it and then it immediately goes the other way out of the sea again because it's longer.

One minute into the rolling surf, they're lost because they're sucked in and cannot come out any more. Future Strandbeests will have step counters which will be reset by feeling the water and they run away from the sea and they count the steps away from the sea so they know where the sea is.

This is what you could call a very primitive imagination. We have our imagination,we have a sort of mirror world in our head which represents the real world around us. It is a copy of the world and our world is very complex but the beach animals world is very simple. On the right hand side is the sea, on the left is the dunes and there's no disposition toward those two elements and so these nerve cells, one nerve cell, works quite well which it does now then the possibilities are endless.

Would you tell us about the animaris speculata that remained attached to its mother acting as a kind of scout? How did this develop and would you tell us a little about how it worked?
Well, it didn't work really well. I've advanced

Is this something you discontinued?
Yes, I stopped the process because I found better ways to feel the soft sand. The animarus speculata worked with a wire in there and there was a lot of friction. It would work a lot better now because the lungs, the wind stomach, plastic bubbles would be a lot better to feed the speculata. It turns out that when the animals run into the soft sand, then the pressure goes up in the animal and you can do this quite easy with a big force that can be pulled out again. These days, they are quite able to walk on soft sand as well, the dry sand.

Theo Jansen's workshop in Ypenburg, Holland

As well as your beasts, there are the programs you’ve developed from the worms simulation to the algorithms you now use for the evolution of the Strandbeests. How have these evolved over time?
I used the computer mainly to develop the lengths of the tubes in the feet. In the middle of each animal there is a sort of backbone which makes a circular movement. The circular movement is transformed into a complex movement down to the toe, the feet. That translation is very much depending on the length of the tubes in between and there are 12 tubes which determines the movement of the toe. The combination of lengths is very important so I wrote a genetic algorithm in an Atari computer to develop the right proportion of the 12 tubes and those were 12 numbers, a sort of genetic code which survived best and these genetic codes are just 12 numbers and I call them also the 12 holy numbers. They determine how the animals walk like they walk.


How important is the environment to you and your work?
Well, I don't think the PVC pipe which I use is very good for the environment. Of course, I never leave them on the beach as part of the environment. The way I work with wind energy is...

Would you consider the environment a partner in creation?
Yes, especially the big dangers on the real beach is the storms. They must always walk with their nose into the wind. When the wind comes sideways they blow over. I work now on programs so they always know where the wind comes from and they put their nose into the wind. Seagulls do the same thing when they are standing on the beach otherwise they would blow away as well.

The place where I work now is quite inland, about 10km inland to have a sort of sandpit, 30m x 50m, here I'm working on them until they're mature enough to go to the real beach because they're not strong enough to survive a very long time in the beaches more than 5 minutes.


So you have a nursery or training area?
Yes. Because the elements on the real beach are a lot worse than they are here. I really must train them a lot better. I think in about 4 years, I'll go to the real beach with the animals and I will have a sort of mobile studio which runs after them and I can do my repairs and hopefully I won't have to do it every third minute like I have to do now.

What was the last thing to surprise you and what did you learn from the experience?
There was an exhibition by a guy called Gerritcan Vakal. He was a Dutch artist and he died in '84 and he made also machines that run on the difference in temperature between day and night. They run very slow. I think they do 3cm a year and he put one of these machines in a desert in Nepal somewhere, he put them in the beginning there and it will be on the other side in 38 million years so that's very funny I think.

Are they still working.
Well, I think the machines never worked but the thought is very good. He is one of the artists that really inspires me. Always when I have an exhibition, I try to include his work.


Generally speaking, art and science tend to make for strange bedfellows with resistence from both sides. Photographer Felice Frankel for example refuses to accept that her work is art and the art world in general is having a difficult time coming to terms to massive influx of new media. Why do you think this is and how do you think the divide between the two can be improved?
Well, I think it is just another matter of what is in people's minds. It's just the institutes that make the people. I mean somewhere where you earn your money, it's what you are. I mean I think engineers are more artists than they want to know and because they work at the university they think well I'm an engineer I'm not an artist. People tend to exaggerate what they think they are. Artists do the same. This world tends to split up just because of psychological reasons.

"If you didn't give anybody money any more, you'll see the real artist and you'll see the real scientist and they'll probably be one person."

And do you think there should be more art in science with more emphasis toward creativity in its tuition?
Well, it's something you cannot force, these boundaries, these institutions give money. You tend to do what gives you the money or recognition. I think if those elements were not there like you have for Eskimos who doesn't have any institution, he doesn't know he's an artist when he makes a little piece of art and he doesn't know he's a scientist when he makes a piece on his canoe to hide him so he can shoot the seals.

If that is the purpose to be blank again and have no prejudice feelings about what you do, I think money would change a lot. If you didn't give anybody money any more, you'll see the real artist and you'll see the real scientist and they'll probably be one person.

Is there any advice you would give parents to nurture children in learning the skills you use?
Yes, well I think when kids go to school they'll usually learn a lot more from each other than they learn from their teachers. So I think putting in a school doesn't matter, if the environment of the kids is okay, they will learn a lot. They might not when they go to economic school or something, they might not become an economist. I don't think the direction or the subject of the school matters so much, I think the mentality is more important than what you study.

And was there anything in your own childhood that led to your current work? (outside playing with pipes)
No, I had a very average family. I don't know how this all came. I think the hippy times did a lot (laughs).


What kind of impact do you hope your work will have both in practical and artistic terms?
What I see now, a lot of people seem to recognize what I do in their own imagination and follow me in my fairytale and become sort of partners or participants. Obviously they don't work with me but stand behind me, support me and really talk with me as if they are part of my project. That of course is something for an artist is very nice when people seem to understand your work.

In the future I hope that these animals will develop in the end that they can live on their own and I don't have to cure them any more and at the end of my life that they will live for a long time after I'm done.

Thank you.
It was a pleasure to do this.

Links:
strandbeest.com
strandbeestmovie.com
Theo Jansen Wiki
Theo Jansen (Art Futura)
Wild Things Are on the Beach (Wired)
Theo Jansen (TED Profile)
Interview (artificial.dk)
Theo Jansen (Galerie Akinci)

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Interview: KEETRA DEAN DIXON

The work of Keetra reminds me of the pet projects of Amelie of Montmartre with their infusion of optimism and rich creative nature. Indeed, the parallels continue with the inspirational imagery provided in the course of this interview as well as her fascinating photobooth imagery.

Her creations demonstrate not only a mature aesthetic sensibility but a unique view of the world that is at once unpredictable yet consistently her own. A number of artists working commercially often find that their commercial work spills into their personal work, but in Keetra's case her personal work is dominant. It is her personal vision that permeates her commercial designs. They fit seamlessly with her independent creations.


With little background information available online, she has provided the following information as a background to her work:

----------------------------------------
A Character Profile of Keetra Dean Dixon, by Joshua Walton.
Some clarification, by Keetra Dean.
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Keetra prefers the trashier version of a grilled cheese sandwich.
She used to live in an Igloo and fight bears on a daily basis for survival.

KEETRA DEAN:
I was born & raised Alaskan.

Joshua:
She only eats the flesh of other designers.

KEETRA DEAN:
I fall on the veggie side of things, but that never squelches my competitive nature.

Joshua:
She'll punch you (HARD) in the face if you say she can't live without electricity for a week.

KEETRA DEAN:
I DON'T NEED NO ELECTRIC!

Joshua:
She feels that cars move too slow and days move too quick.

KEETRA DEAN:
True.

Joshua:
If she ever went to prison she would design the best tats for people.
Oh, and one more thing, she can outshoot me at the gun range every time so keep her on your side for the zombie invasion.

----------------------------------------
Some standard stats:
Education: MFA, Cranbrook Academy of Art + BFA, Minneapolis College of Art & Design
Owns her own studio, From Keetra, in NYC. Often collaborates with the Time and Place Workshop.

And so with heaps of appreciation, I'm very pleased to present the following interview with Keetra.

SIOUXFIRE: Were you creative as a child? Were there any key moments while growing up that shape your work? And at what point did you decide that ‘art’ was your calling?
KEETRA DEAN: Both of my parents have had careers focusing on practical fabrication - seamstress & metal smith. So I grew up in a hands on environment, but I don't think I was any more or less creative than other children. I did make my first cash in high school doing portraits of friends & people in the community. It went from there.


SIOUXFIRE: Are there similarities between how you approach a personal and commercial project? And what are the differences?
KEETRA DEAN: I approach commercial work like I approach gift giving. "What would ____________(insert client name) REALLY want for their Birthday?" Where as un-commissioned work is a present all for me! It's problem solving VS a more indulgent exploration. Either way I am looking to make someone smile.


SIOUXFIRE: What do you hope a person will get from finding one of your public works like little public plaques or Rising Stars? And where do you draw your inspiration for this kind of work?
KEETRA DEAN: Most of my personal work can be labeled Implements of Wonder + Attentive Stimuli. Ideally my work will insight Wonder & Cultivate Critical Attention using: • Surprise • Delight • Discovery • a sense of Play • Vulnerability • Novelty • Confrontation of the unexpected • The combat of pessimism & passivity • Non-traditional forms of interaction


SIOUXFIRE: To me, your work has a consitently positive message even if it’s shrouded in dark humour like your blood puddle pillows. Is that important to you?
KEETRA DEAN: Absolutely. I find myself tripping into a cynical loop at times. I try to inject moments into the daily routine that may break those cynical patterns for myself or a larger community.

SIOUXFIRE: Would you tell us about the different tools and mediums you use and what makes each special to your work? And what are your feelings about digital vs. traditional media?
KEETRA DEAN: In general I try to inserting the unexpected into accepted forms, whatever the medium is. I rarely think about digital & traditional mediums as oppositional or mutually exclusive. In general I try to find the best final form for a project & the most effective way to produce it.


SIOUXFIRE: A Tricky Photobooth is a fascinating project. How did that come about and did things develop? Were you surprised by the results? Is the photobooth still around?
KEETRA DEAN: The Tricky Photobooth was my MFA thesis piece at Cranbrook Academy of Art. I was looking for a light hearted, experiential based tradition with a standardized ritual tied to an individuals public persona. Ideally the booth is displayed in a semi public areas - malls, boardwalks, carnivals etc.

The booth holds no denotation of it's unique qualities. Users enter the booth, pose for 2 shots & exit as usual. During the developing process, the photos are "analyzed" & customized with forecasts consisting of patterns, symbols & messages - the resulting portrait presents an unexpected interference over a traditional photobooth image.


This portrait becomes a custom souvenir of the unexpected. I was completely surprised by how well the booth ended up working. I am always a bit apprehensive about putting my work out there & inadvertently hurting someone in some way, or generally pissing people off. But, in the case of the booth, people respond very positively & seem to be invigorated by the interaction. It is the most I can hope for. The booth is currently being redesigned - the next version will be industrial strength! The original is now retired, it lived a good life.

SIOUXFIRE: Would you choose an image (by anyone aside from yourself) that you think is “great” and explain what makes it special for you? (photo, drawing, etc. – anything you like)
KEETRA DEAN:


This image is GREAT because it makes me SMILE - ENDLESSLY SMILE!

SIOUXFIRE: What would you say have been the most important things you’ve learned in regard to your work/self in the past few years? And what advice would you give other creatives?
KEETRA DEAN: BE BRAVE! (or maybe just start with baby steps and try to be a little more brave each day. Everything is more fun with baby steps!)

SIOUXFIRE: Would you choose a colour (it doesn’t have to be a favourite) and explain the ideas and feelings it generates for you? This doesn’t need to be a straight answer – express yourself in any way you feel is suitable from an explanation to a haiku or image
KEETRA DEAN: Here is a poem I wrote when I was 10.

"An ode to teal. Teal is the color of the deep blue sea & the thousands of fish that swim beneath. As the daughter of blue when wed to green, teal reminds me of people when lonely. The End."

Currently teal makes me think of "BUM EQUIPMENT" sweatshirts from my youth.


SIOUXFIRE: What are your thoughts on the categorization of arts between “high brow”, “low brow”, “fine art”, and “outsider art”? Do you feel these labels serve any purpose?
KEETRA DEAN: For the sake of productive discussion and a more realistic external perspective categorization can be very beneficial. Segregation of work based on those categories is more difficult to reconcile. I rack it all up to an occasional sticky frustration. I rarely find myself in uncomfortable circumstances due to art labels.

SIOUXFIRE: Are there any other arts that you practice outside your usual work? (music, poetry/writing, filmmaking, sculpture, etc.) And are there any arts/skills that you’re keen to learn?
KEETRA DEAN: I dabble in what ever the work calls for. Right now I am learning a bit more about electricity!!

SIOUXFIRE: What or who inspires you? (musicians, designers, filmmakers, painters, etc.) And why?
KEETRA DEAN:

The biggest drain hole in the WORLD!!!

This guy is grasping the moment, you can see it in his eyes!

SIOUXFIRE: What are you working on now? And what are your aspirations for the future? What will Keetra ideally be doing in 10 years?
KEETRA DEAN: I am trying to hone my wonder skills - it's a tough gig. In ten years I hope to be doing the same, maybe in a bigger pad.

Thank you, Keetra.


Links:
From Keetra
From K to J
Future Farmers
Keetra profile - Cranbrook Art

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Interview: KAKO UEDA

As with artist Nikki McClure, Kako Ueda creates more often with an X-acto knife as opposed to a pen or brush. Her works are elaborate forms with a strong sense of her Japanese roots and nature.

Working at ARAS and with a strong interest in her medium's history and its association with culture, she has a fascinating body of work. She has recently been the recipient of the 2007 New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) Fellowship.

Would you share your history with paper from your childhood discoveries to your current work?
I learned to make an origami crane and other animals from my friends as well as from my parents. I started drawing and painting early on (3-4 years old) and I distinctively remember that the first time I used canvas to paint oil (I was 11 or 12), I didn't like it. So I went back to painting on paper with watercolor and acrylic. I also remember that I made paper dresses for my dolls (including Barbie!!) when I was a little girl.

I studied photography in college. I initially wanted to get into the painting department but it was very competitive; you had to fight for a studio space so I was kind of fed up, thinking "I could paint on my own and I want to learn something totally new" so I chose photography as my main study. The teachers in the photo department were wonderful and I learned to really look at things in a frame. I also discovered the beauty of black and white photography. I continued to paint & draw (oil sticks) on paper on my own. I was accepted to Pratt Institute graduate program in 1996 based on the organic inspired abstract drawings I did on paper. I started folding paper while at Pratt and my thesis show was a group of wall-reliefs made of dye-cut envelops (which I cut myself). There were black and white ones and very minimal looking but suggestive of the body somehow.

Is there a particular approach you have to colour? Is there a fixed palette that you prefer? And how would you differentiate between your monochromatic silhouettes and full colour works?
Sticking to black, white and grey is very comfortable for me, that is why I sometimes have to use colors to put myself in an uncomfortable place. To me colors could be overly emotional and could give mixed messages. Black and white can be expressive and "colorful" too but always with a certain sense of restraint. When I use colors I tend to go all the way and create "very colorful" work as if I let go of something.

"Purity sounds noble and good but scares me sometimes..."

Following on, how do you feel the process of cutting adds to your work and how would you differentiate between cutting and other mediums?
Cutting creates paper to become a hybrid being. It is both 2-D and 3-D at the same time because it has a look of line drawing at a first glance but casts shadow on the wall to remind us its 3-dimensionality. I've always been attracted to things/people/animal that are mixed or hybrid. Purity sounds noble and good but scares me sometimes because some people do brutal things to others in the sake of keeping something/someone "pure".


How do you feel the impermanence and fragility of the paper add to your work? And how does its history augment the medium for you?
Traditional Japanese culture found special beauty in fragility and impermanence because people at that time seemed to be more in touch with the natural process of decay and approaching death/end.

The culture we live in (I am talking about contemporary industrialized cultures) tend to see impermanence and fragility as defect or weakness. If one wants to "succeed" in this culture, one has to look youthful (devoid of wrinkles) and stay that way. On one hand I see the attraction in it myself; on the other hand I feel that we are losing something by just stressing that part of life. We all age and die in the end no matter what.

"I picked up the medium of cut paper without any preconceived notion..."

You have never displayed your photographic work. Why is that? Is it something that you would like to get into again? And has it influenced your current work at all?
I simply haven't had a chance. I may when I feel like it. Never say never and keep one's option open. Learning photography made me aware of composition and see the world in black, different shades of grey and white.

What practical advice would you give for anyone wanted to try their hand at paper cuts? And would you recommend some sources of information on the medium and its history?
I picked up the medium of cut paper without any preconceived notion in 2003. I simply started fooling around first with scissors then X-acto knife. To tell you the truth, I was stuck and bored with what I had been doing (folding paper) and needed to change the course.


As I got into cutting, I did some research to see how the medium was presented in different cultures. I looked up Japanese stencil cutting, Chinese, Mexican, German, and so on. I am glad though that I didn't have any set idea of how I should cut or what technique I should use. I had images in my head that wanted to come out somehow and I chose this particular medium to do it.

I never read about or formally learned traditional cutting techniques so I cannot preach to people on technical issues. Some people get so hung up on the "cutting" part but if one doesn't have a compelling image (to himself or herself), cutting wouldn't add anything--I want to stress this fact. On the practical matter, what I can say is to change the blade often. 1-2 in every hour so you always are working with a sharp blade—good for your art and for your hand.

Would you tell us about your work at The Archive for Research in Archetypal Symbolism in Manhattan, what you have learned at your time there, and its impact on your work?
It is a wonderful place to work. I feel lucky everyday. Our boss is an art-aficionado and five others--three visual artists, a musician, and a Jungian analyst/editor. We are currently working on a book of images (each symbolic entry presented by visuals and a piece of writing).

I was hired initially to do basic research that was sent to the writers. I had to read a lot and copied a lot, and since I love reading anyway I learned a lot about a lot of different things. One of the things which was useful for my pieces was learning about world mythology. And ARAS has tons of books on that subject matter.

What was the last thing to surprise you and what did you learn from the experience?
I got hit by a cab last summer. That was a surprise. I was fortunate that I didn't break anything. It surely made me think that life could end just like that. And yes, I also learned to pay very good attention to cars in New York City even if you have the right way.

Your parents were from an artistic background and you grew up in Japan. Based on your own experiences, what advice would you give parents to nurture their children’s artistic expression?
Just let your child do whatever he/she desires as long as it is not harmful to him/herself or others. And save your child's artwork. He/she will appreciate looking at them when they grow up. And it gives him/her a feeling that what he/she made was worth saving!


Would you choose a colour (it doesn’t have to be a favourite) and explain the ideas and feelings it generates for you? This doesn’t need to be a straight answer – express yourself in any way you feel is suitable.
I wear red/red lipstick when I have lots of energy and wanna get attention.

What are your thoughts on the categorization of arts between “high brow”, “low brow”, “fine art”, “outsider art”, “craft” and so on? Do you feel these labels serve any purpose?
Human beings are masters of "categorization". I guess our brain naturally has that tendency. Having categories helps to function in the society pretty well, at the same time it obstructs one to become" one" with the rest of the environment. We perpetually feel unhappy and unsatisfied because we feel separated from each other at the same time (ironically) we want to hold onto the labels of what we seem to be so we feel special, important or better than "others". Ultimately I say forget the labels.

What are you currently working on? Are there any other mediums which you would like to try in future? And in 10 years time, where would Kako Ueda ideally be?
I have been working on this medium size piece called "Conversation" and I have two installation pieces going at the same time. I am trying to stretch the definition of cut paper art. I don't know where I would be ideally in 10 years. My ideals change constantly but if you say at this moment what I feel about it, I would say, "no aches in my hand".

Thank you, Kako.

Links:
Kako Ueda
Smack Mellon gallery
George Adams gallery
Artists Space gallery
Animal-NY Q&A
White Hot magazine interview
ARAS
Paper Forest (post + related info)

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Interview: KLAUS OBERMAIER

Klaus Obermaier is a media artist, director, composer, and lecturer. Working in dance, music, theatre, new media and creating interactive installations, video art, web projects, computer music, radio plays, and large scale outdoor performances, his work has innovated, inspired, and has been well received by critics and spectators.

On Tuesday(26.6.07), Klaus with conductor Marin Alsop and the London Philharmonic Orchestra will perform a 21st century rendition of Igor Stravinsky's 'The Rite of Spring'(Le Sacre du Printemps) at the Southbank Centre, London. Dancer Julia Mach will perform within the virtual spaces created by Obermaier and interactive designers from the Ars Electronica Futurelab. Wearing 3D glasses, the audience will see Julia within the virtual world and her body itself will expand beyond reality.

I am extremely grateful to Klaus for sparing some time in the run up to this performance to answer my questions.

You have found ways to fuse and extend performers bodies. First, how do the performers themselves approach these fusions and how much control do they maintain in their performance? Second, is it important to you that the result looks natural(organic) and/or is an aesthetic of artifice an important part of the interpretation?
Both questions depend on each particular piece, as there is a big difference in the approach of for instance VIVISECTOR, APPARITION or Le Sacre du Printemps.


In Le Sacre du Printemps, I was doing the choreography and therefore was able to create my own kind of balance between real body (natural) and virtual. I was going for an aesthetic, where the human can interact with the digital environments generated in real time , in a very natural way. The dance should work on its own, but also seamlessly fuse and interact with the digital environment. There is plenty of space for improvisation, but also the more strictly choreographed parts don't restrict the dancer regarding her performance, not more than in any conventional piece. Julia Mach keeps control.

"I realized that I am able to 'think' in new technologies - in the same way as I can think in music/instruments as a composer"

There is a general perception that there is a separation between science (and mathematics in particular) and art. What have your experiences been with and what do you think of these proconceptions? And in working on the programming for your works, do you approach it in a manner that is unique to your perspective as an artist?
I never think about that particularly. But in the center of my work stands the interaction between humans and new technologies/virtual environments. As this is a question of our times and the future, I feel very natural in using and fusing these technologies with performance and hence research the consequences and possibilities that come out of that question.


In some of the more process intensive computer generated arts, is there a danger in becoming detached from the original vision while working for extended periods in the programming and/or construction?
APPARITION and Le Sacre du Printemps are very process intensive, but I usually have a very clear idea of what I want when I invent a new piece. And I know the limits or where we can push the limits of the technology which I use. In my talks with the developers and programmers of the ARS ELECTRONICA FUTURELAB, I always try to find out and clarify the aesthetic and technological framework at the beginning of the work. The original vision always worked out, but of course there are (and should) be interesting surprises while working.

I realized that I am able to think in new technologies - in the same way that I can think in music and instruments as a composer, or as a stage designer thinks the performance space ... That allows me to plan and combine the many different mediums I use in a very efficient way and straight forward way.

What do you feel about your work being described as “driven by technology”?
... and driven by human performance, and by music, and by stage design ...
That is how I feel about it.

But I understand that because I invented a lot of new technologies in performance art and people see that part first. It is just not the case for myself.

You have worked in a wide variety of mediums. Would you briefly tell us about the mediums for which you have worked and what you feel are their strong points in terms of expression?
I worked with music, which I think, by its abstract apparition, had a big influence on all my work with other mediums. Sounds and rhythms do not have any particular meaning, but are moving us a lot. Here I see similarities with dance, which is also a very abstract medium for me. Movements cannot really tell us something concrete, but like music, they can open new ways of perception and experience.

I worked with many visual mediums like video, web-projects, installations etc. But for me these are just variations or extensions of visual art. The same goes for dance: As a musician on stage I always was aware of the performing aspect. So it was a natural development to work with dancers/performers/actors.


In your performances, how would you describe the relationship between your work and the audience? Does the inclusion of 3D glasses as a worn object help make a connection? How does it compare to the relationship between audience and show in a more spartan setting?
Theatre is a way to combine my different interests - and that is very important for me. Without really thinking about it I realized that theatre/dance/performance pieces became my main focus.

I also enjoy the direct communication with an audience - which is not possible in a painting or web project.

In Le Sacre du Printemps, the stereoscopic projections (and the 3D glasses) create an immersive environment, which permits the audience to participate substantially more intimately to the communication between a performer and the digital environment than in traditional theatre settings.

"The most common mistake is to think too complicated..."

What do you think of the tendency to categorise art with labels like “high brow”, “low brow”, “street art”, or “outsider art”? And in general, are labels and gradations of art in any way beneficial?
Most of them I don't even know. I think if you are creating, you don't care about that.

Since 2006 you have been a visiting professor at the University IUAV of Venice teaching new media in dance, music and theatre performances. What have you learned from your time teaching and lecturing?
No idea what I have learned particularly, but it is a very interesting work.

And what would you say is the most common mistake or misconception among your students?
The most common mistake is to think too complicated, which never lets you come to a point. And I mean both: technological and contextual.

photo: Gabi Hauser

In regard to your work with the Kronos Quartet and Robert Spour, how did this collaboration develop and what was the impetus behind the The Cloned Sound and its genetic structures?
How to create rhythmic structures out of genetic patterns and the real time transformation of the natural sound of a string quartet. At that time, this was a very new thing.

Have you had time recently to work on new compositions?
I recently composed for another string quartet, the Balanescu Quartet. It was performed in 2005 in the Queen Elisabeth Hall.

At what age did you feel that art was your calling?
I think I was 12 when I realized I want to become an artist. A painter and a musician.
My father was painting for himself when he was a child. When I first heard the White Album of the Beatles I knew I wanted to make music.

"I have a special idea about a new technology which I hopefully will start to work on soon."

Would you choose a colour and explain the ideas and feelings it generates for you?
Sorry, but I like all and no colours.

Also, would you select an image that you feel is powerful and explain why it has an impact on you?
Same as above. The most powerful images are always the last ones I created.


Do you feel the art world is somewhat slow in adopting new technology?
I think this is going on a lot in art, adopting new technologies (and it always was).
New technologies are just one way to express yourself. But for me there is no difference to other (older) ways. It is just what you prefer.

Do you have any concepts for which you are waiting for the right technology?
Usually I try to develop the technology I need with collaborators like the Ars Electronica Futurelab, or Hirokazu Kato (Osaka University). I have a special idea about a new technology which I hopefully will start to work on soon.

And is D.A.V.E.(digital amplified video engine) an evolving program?
D.A.V.E. is not evolving, but because it was so new when it came out, there is still a lot of demand and buzz for the piece.

As well as the performance of 'Le Sacre du Printemps' on Tuesday (26.6.07) in London, a performance of 'Maria T' is scheduled for 13.7.07 at the El Espiritu Del Sur in Huesca, Spain. A new collection of Klaus' compositions from 1985 - 2005 is out now and available HERE.

Links:
Klaus Obermaier
Ars Electronica Futurelab
Conductor Marin Alsop
The Southbank Centre
The London Philharmonic Orchestra
Igor Stravinsky Wiki
The Balanescu Quartet
The Kronos Quartet
Hirokazu Kato's ArToolKit
University IUAV of Venice
Le Sacre du Printemps - biographies

** NOTE: All images link back to their source.

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Interview: ICELANDIC LOVE CORPORATION

The Icelandic Love Corporation are enigmatic and their colourful, life affirming works are transient or anonymous. Because of this and having read numerous other interviews, I knew that this would be a challenge; a bit like catching smoke with a net or a scooping up the same piece of river more than once.

Their work spans a wide range of mediums including performance, sculpture, installations, music, film, television, painting, and literature. While certainly emotive, like their creators, the works are resistant to analysis. Trying to do so is rather pointless; a bit like trying to create a specific blueprint for how to run the rake through a Zen garden.

What I will say is that I find their work honest and refreshing with a seriousness that isn't cumbersome. As a whole, their body of work is like an ornate diary, a window into their own personal journeys with the most incredible, enlightening outlook.

In regards to the name of your group, would you explain the importance of the trio of words from which it is made: Icelandic, love, and corporation? And aside from the name itself, what changed between the group being known as Gjörningaklúbburinn and The Icelandic Love Corporation?
Well, we never thought about it as a trio of words, per se. When this name was first used, we were actually a quartet. Dóra Isleifsdóttir was a part of the group from 1996 - 2001. Why we chose those three exact words is both easy and hard to explain. Icelandic, well that's a fact. We are icelandic. Love. we like it. it is a strong idea. It is both a redeeming, creative and destructive element. but most of the time a very good thing. corporation.

"Some people seem to automatically connect the word love to something kitschy or childish. We really don't understand that."

Probably the megalomania in us back then was pretty strong. but also we thought it was funny. to be a corporation of four girls. We did not really sit around contemplating about this name for a very long time. it just seemed right. through the years we have thought about it from time to time and have grown to like it more and more. Some people seem to automatically connect the word love to something kitschy or childish. We really don't understand that. well partly we do, but we think that's unfair to love.

For us it's love for life and all that's in it, good and bad.

But the word Gjörningaklúbburinn literally translated means Performance Club. We didn't find that english version too exciting. In icelandic the word Gjörningaklúbburinn has various connotations or layers if you want to look for them. To magic and witchcraft (gjörningar) and to sewing circles (sauma "klúbbur").

So we just decided to pick a new name for the international conquering.

You have said before that you wish to remove your personalities from the work of the ILC and the words sterilise, empty, and white are a common thread through your interviews and write-ups.
Sterilise, empty, white.... to us that's the opposite of our work.

Can science and art mix?
It is going on all the time. And people should stop thinking that it isn't.

Does the manner in which you forge a relationship with an audience change with the setting or is it universal? And would you say this invisible relationship is your work rather than the performance, image, or object?
We never rehearse our performances and we very much expect something from the audience, otherwise there would be not point...but our work is our work. Some of it is created within a moment that cannot be done again and some of it is very long lasting. like Mother Earth for example. This piece will stay there for a long time and has no evidence of us in it.

Circus and truth?
Absurdity can point out the most obvious truth.


Would you say that there is anything particularly Icelandic about your work?
Us. And the fact that we work here in this space. We have been using icelandic heritage a bit, like sheepskin shoes and materials like wool and such , but also nylon and video.... I guess that we are not too afraid of nationalism..... but we mean it in a good way. We are hopefully not trying to be supericelandic.

But then we also belong to other groups, we are women, we were born in the seventies, we are white, pretty much healthy, we have all danced to a Dolly Parton song. So being icelandic is just one of these groups that humans belong to.

"...we absolutely don't want to know what exactly it is."

People here are trying to define what is icelandic. i was actually listening to a philosopher trying to do this the other day. I guess that it is futile. but there is something about being from an island, and also a small population. It has pros and cons.

Would you explain what part(if any) aesthetics play in your work? Is it the same as beauty? What is beauty?
We use that word a lot. Fallegt (beautiful) for all kinds of things. I think we are essentially trying to make something beautiful, but we absolutely don't want to know what exactly it is.


What do you think of finding meaning in coincidence?
there must be someone somewhere sitting at the switchboard.

"When we started doing things we were reacting against some boredom that comes with 'high brow' i guess."

What do you think about the way in which labels are applied in art such as “high brow”, “low brow”, “street art”, “fine art”, and “outsider art”? Do you feel labels serve any useful purpose in art?
Yes, in a way we think they do. Just like it is useful to have some kind of a language, even though it should not be taken for granted or written into some kind of a law, what is what. When we started doing things we were reacting against some boredom that comes with "high brow" i guess. but then we kind of sometimes are a part of "high brow"..... so it is very limiting to think that you belong to some specific department. All the departments kind of rely on each other in some ways. It would be no fun to react against something that wasn't there.

Would you continue from the following sentence?
While anticipating the sunrise, the polar bear… meditated, and then it sneezed.

Where do we go from here?
To where we belong.

Thank you.
Thank you!

Links:
Icelandic Love Corporation
ILC (Bjork.com special)
ILC - poetry
ILC - video

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