PORTFOLIO XVII
Susanna Flock
[email protected]
http://susannaflock.net/
STATEMENT
An integral part of my artistic work is a mode
of practice coined by experimental strategies
and a conceptual approach.
Art as a medium of communication and the
examination of the impact of digitalization
on cultural production, outreach and
reception form the thematic basis.
The concepts are implemented in the form of
installation, intervention, video, audio,
photography and graphics, however, the moving image often takes on a central role.
Questions dealing with the role of language in
the current context of digital
communication and the relationship
between the body and its technologicallymediated environment are reflected in the
substantive approach of my work.
Orange
2017
7 prints on cotton behind plexiglas
70 x 35 cm / 150 x 45 cm (frame)
Texts such as “Smell like cheese but look real” and other selected quotations are sampled from the buyer reviews of an replica object purchased online.
The comments describe handling, satisfaction and materiality of the simulated product.
The fabrics containing the quotations are presented between two acrylic sheet; the resultant folding and flattening emphasizes various readings of the
text and highlights the „slipperiness“ of meaning and interpretation.
Dough
2017
180 x 85 cm
prints on satin
The textile prints examine the „stuff“ of dough, as a living material that is never static, but is constantly changing and growing. Only by the action of
mechanical energy the mixture of flour and water form the dough. This very physical process was then subjected to digital image processing tools.
Further the dough motif was distorted, kneaded and shaped by virtual actions.
Fetisch finger
2016
VIDEO
The video „fetish finger“ combines experimental video clips, that deal with the complexity of haptic perception in the context of screen based digital
media. Through digitization and the associated dematerialization of objects, the longing for haptic perception often increases. The moving images are
associatively concerned with contact at the interface between the physical and the virtual, activeness and passiveness.
In addition to images of gestures and actions, 3D animations and photographs, video clips of so called „Food Diaries“ are included in the work, in which
the daily diet of various individuals is filmed and then uploaded to Youtube. Formally, the video „Fetish Finger“ is read as if scrolling down a webpage.
The video clips are not alined horizontally, but vertically. The narrative takes place from top to bottom.
vXs-Experimentalvideo-Screening 2016, fotocredits: GRAF+ZYX/Bildrecht
Starring role
2016
VIDEO
In „Starring Role“ a workout utensil is arranged and animated by actresses in green body suits, taking place in a greenboxsetting.
The video consists of sequences of the original recordings and sequences in which the green color was removed via video effects and thus only the
moving foam roller can be seen. The cylindrical shape of the so-called foam roller recalls an image of a sighting of an unidentified flying object from the
1950s. The dance of pure form in the green room picks up on this picture, the gymnastic contortions let the role float weightlessly again.
„Starring Role“ experiments with sculptural questions in digital video space and deals with digital visibility and invisibility.
In the post-produced recordings the absence of the body remains through the negative forms that depict on the role. The final video is orchestrated
by a collage of different extracted workout hits played in slow motion and mixed with footage from NASAS free to use audio collection. The colors of the
changing backgrounds, of the foam roller and the bright green morphsuits are popping out in jarring pop aesthetics.
BLISS, Werkstatt Graz, Graz (A) Fotografie: Wolfgang Croce
UFO Sighting New York 1950
WASD
2015
4 CHANNEL Video installation
For the video installation „W-A-S-D“ a gamer, a dancer, an athlete and a stuntman were asked to imitate the death
sequences of avatars from computer games through a motion karaoke. The title refers to the WASD keys, which are
used in computer games to control the avatar when playing with a keyboard. However, not the virtual characters are
being controlled, reversely they predetermine the movements. Contentwise, the starting point of the work is death
in computer games. It is not to be equated with an absolute end, but let’s you frequently repeat a game level as a
consequence of an error. Death for us means an emotional process and is always final, it is not only reversed to the
contrary in computer games, but infiltrated through the medium of karaoke in the work on another level.
W-A-S-D, BB 15, Linz (A) Photography: Susanna Flock
CAN ONE MARK THIS SKY
2014
5 prints on paper 5 prints on tentex metal construction
Error 1.6.1.8. - object already exists, 17.11-22.11.2015, Flat1, Wien, (A) Fotografie: Susanna Flock
The process-oriented work Can One Mark This Sky deals with the naming of high-pressure and low-pressure areas and the sending of an encrypted message via a mass media system. The Institute of Meteorology of the University of Berlin assigns names to pressure areas for Central
Europe. These names are accepted and published by meteorological services and media, as they appear on the weather maps of many newspapers and are mentioned in radio and television weather reports. Launched in 2002 ‘Operation Weather Godfather’ one can take on a name
sponsorship of pressure formations against payment. For this project, pressure formations were baptized systematically by browsing through
name archives for semantic material that is approved by the Institute of Meteorology of the University of Berlin. The names used are from
different cultures. They appeared from 2012-2014 on weather maps, yield together they result in the sentence: “CAN ONE MARK THIS SKY”.
From the gathered material ten wheater maps and pressure area graphics where printed on paper and tentex and presented on a metal
display.
BINARY SHADES
2015
8 foil-prints on mirroring paper
RAUM ALS EXPERIMENTIERFELD, 19-26.09.2015, DE VONDELBUNKER, Amsterdam (NLD)
The work „Binary Shades“ shows close ups of blurred faces taken from Google Streetview. In the process, those individuals were selected who
looked at their smartphones while they were photographed and thereby perpetuated in the digital realm of Street View.
OBSERVATION
2013
Textanimation
SUPERVISION, 11.-17.12.2013, Remise , Zürich (CH), Photography: Susanna Flock
Private detectives are professionals of observation, it is their most common task.
In this work, three private detectives were asked to observe the shooting of an Austrian detective film production. It involves the MR film
production „The Detectives“ directed by Michael Riebel. In the process of observing the scenes of a shooting, a screenplay from the perspective of professional detectives originates by writing the observation protocols. One of the detectives was asked to treat the scenes in his
description as real occurrences in order to not take account of the shooting and the film set itself (projected text). The other two on the other
hand were instructed to pay attention mainly to the film shooting and the associated events (monitors).
COVER
2013
Performance
in collaboration with Leonard Muellner
Supervision, 25.09 – 31.10.2013, Atelierhaus Saltamt, Linz (A), Fotografie: Mari Mäkiö
The exhibition „Supervision“ explored the intersections between art and criminology. It took place in Atelierhaus Salzamt in Linz, where usually
no museums guards work. Contrary to his routine a security and museum guard was encouraged to stand in front the art works in the show
and thereby deny the visitors gaze on them. Every fifteen minutes, another artwork was covered by him, the performance ended when the last
visitor left the room on the opening night. This work was created in collaboration with Leonhard Muellner and repeated in another exhibition.
Second Performance of Cover in „Error 1.6.1.8. - object already exists“ with a janitor, 17.11-22.11.2015, Flat1, Wien, (A)
UNTITLED
2012
Lasercut on CARDBOARD
DLF 1874: Die Biografie der Bilder, eine Inventur der Voraussetzungen, 15.09. - 21.10.2012, Halle 14 , Leipzig (D), Photography: Susanna Flock
The poster subjects show texts that are taken from the Getty Images website, and have been found in certain keywords, ‚Real People _Ordinary‘, ‚Ugliness‘ and ‚Real People_Criminal‘. The search results that appear first are considered ‚best match‘ and are therefore consequentially
used for the work. „The decisive act, to withhold the imagery itself, provides space for our own imagination. Illustrations lacking in identity are
transformed into narrative complexes, which are fed from a huge range of concepts and a wide world of thought, they open a mental cinema.“1
1) Günther Selichar on Susanna Flocks work „Untitled“
Transposition.Change, 21.03-27.04.2014, DOK Niederösterreich, St.Pölten (A), Photography: Sonja Dürnberger
MAPS
2012
UNPROCESSED SCREENSHOTS
7 INKJETPRINTS
Let‘s call it, Terrains & Territories, 14.-16.9.2012, Kunstraum Liska, Leipzig (D), Fotografie: Jacub Simcic
The Supershow, 14.-22.09.2013, Halle 14 , Leipzig (D)
ROOM TOUR
2011
3 VIdeos
„Room Tour Videos“ show tours that people have recorded through their rooms. They are mostly uploaded on Youtube by young girls,
their rooms are rather uniform, the pre-cut habitat-templates from marketing campaigns are reproduced. Three of these standardized
rooms have here been precisely recreated in 3D program „Sweet Home 3D“ and equipped with Google Warehouse. By the use of the
3D graphics every trace of human touch is cleared out of the interior spaces and continued as a virtual simulation of the girl‘s room.
The videos have then again been uploaded on Youtube.
„from the darkroom with love“, 07.09.2011 - 30.09.2011, Bäckerstrasse4 Plattform für junge Kunst, Wien, Photography: Martin Bilinovac
TRYING TO BUILD A SENTENCE
2012
Video
„So habe ich das nicht gesagt, I never said it like that“, Bristol Diving School 20.05-26.05.2011, Bristol, Photography: Katharina Loidl
The words „Back-to-back-they-faced-each-other“-have been individually applied onto cows in a field. Thus, there was the possibility that they
could form a grammatically correct sentence.
SCENERIES
2012
Soundinstallation
cooperation with leonhard muellner
Constantly out of Space, 24.03-27.03.2012, Blumen, Leipzig, Photography: Mari Mäkiö
Sceneries is an acoustic collage of collected travelogues. The passengers are not walking through tangible but virtual territories that they
have entered via computer games. Once they sink into their digital environment, the virtual tourists express similar fascination as is known to
arise when viewing actual natural scenery. The found footage was extracted from so-called Let‘s Plays; at-length recordings of the respective
game that are uploaded to the internet for the players practical purposes of commentary etc. Sceneries is a collaborative effort of artists
Susanna Flock & Leonhard Muellner.
[sound of steps]
Wow.
That´s nothing that you can see every
day.
Wow, haha.
Just look at that!
Eh, look at that!
How often do you see something like
that?
That´s … a portion at the ground sticking
off the side of the mountain... and there is
tree growing on that, a big tree.
There is a cave down there.
Kind of partially uncovered.
And there is a waterfall going off that,
going straight down.
And there is...
How often you do you see that?
And... Jeez!
I ´ve never seen that.
And there is a cave over there.
Jeez!
There is a little forest on the top of this
little mountain here.
The three giant trees on it.
One tree with most of its leaves cut off.
Wait, which way am I going?
Am I going south?
I think I’m going south.
Yeah, actually I am going east.
No, it works.
CHATTING UP POETRY
2011
SounD Installation
mobile PA system
This Morning I Got A Call From Heaven
They Said They Were Missing An Angel,
Don‘t Worry I Won‘t Tell Them You Are Here.
Festival of Region 2011, „Umsteigen“ in Attnang-Puchheim , 22.06- 3.0.2011, Photography: Susanna Flock
The Attnang-Puchheim Railway Station became a stage through interventions in the central PA system. Those waiting became the audience
for scripted declarations of love. The content of the announcements is based on SMS messages as exchanged by young lovers. Chatting up via
SMS simply shifts to other media: verbal instead of written, loudspeakers instead of mobile phone. The public can listen to rituals of everyday
romance.
MEASURE + AIM
2010
Room-And Sound installation
This work transfers Ernst Neufert‘s (1900 - 1986) concept on normative rules and space into the vacancies of the tobacco factory Linz.
The German architect got especially known for his standard text book „Bauentwurfslehre“ (structural design) from 1936.
The development of mass production and the increasing mechanization of life appertain to his career. Standards and norms governed mass
production. Humans, space and devices had to be compatible. A scale realization of a 2x3m hotel room standardized by architect Ernst Neufert was made out of twine. Reminiscent of an architectural drawing, the fine lines of the accessible installation indicate a „normed“ room. The
site-specific installation was converted into a factory space of the former Tobacco Factory Linz, which was also built in the 1930‘s. An audio file
replays the index of the book „Bauentwurfslehre“. It draws attention to Neufert‘s occupation measuring every space used by human beings.
Through the alphabetical order of the register, arbitrary, poetic associations emerge.
„Maß & Ziel“, 02.09-11.09.2010, ARS Elektronica Festival „Repair“, Tabakfabrik Linz, Photography: Marin Bilinovac