project archive: HERMANN-HESSE-SCHULE PROJECT

In 2009 and 2010, Hermann-Hesse-Schule Kreuzberg, collaborated with Ateliehof Kreuzberg on a project bringing together final year students with professional artists from the studios. The bases of the project was for each student to select a single piece of work by one of the artists from which to develop a work of their own under the tutorage of the artist. The duration of the project was over a couple of months with 2 hours direct contact time per week, incorporating self contained workshops, development of ideas and the realisation of the final work. The finished projects were exhibited in the exhibition space at Ateliehof Kreuzberg.

2009. Two students developed ideas around the theme of visual language and it's application in defining their own locality and community in Berlin. Both developed ideas in response to the complex issue of representing, looking for simple aesthetic devices in which to suggest intricate stories.

                                                   'Auf den Punkt gebracht' - Giulia Schelm. 2009 

                                                           'Dahinter' - Julie Walter. 2009

Both developed visual aspects from their surroundings as a vehicle by which to transport an idea of the many layers beneath daily life.  Both girls were asked to consider whether their concept for the work should or could be taken further beyond the pictorial aspect to include the manner of its presentation - to conceive the work and its installation as one.

 'Dahinter' - Julie Walter. 2009 (side view)

'Auf den Punkt gebracht' - Giulia Schelm. 2009 (section and plan drawing)

2010. I worked with three students developing three quite distinctive projects who's original starting point was a simple photographic work of a performance piece entitled 'dancing a line' - andy rumball. 2007. Each considered how images can be misleading, figurative and fictional and the prime or secondary element of the work. 

Through a series of compact workshops each developed a concept and visual language eventually concentrating on their individual final projects. In their work they were to consider composition, view point, perceived understanding, story telling and technical requirements.

'my life in 5 pictures (part)' Patricia Zakrzewska. 2010 (workshop)

'shadow games' Dilek Ercan. 2010 (workshop)

'shadow games' Sophia Wendler. 2010 (workshop)

Sophia Wendler explored the limitations of photography and its rapidly evaporating status as a indicator of the truth. A performance action of walking in the wrong direction on a moving escalator was photographed and the resulting images incorporated into a sculptural form. Its installation played with the viewers points of reference and ultimately showed the frailty of the viewers understanding of images.

 Sophia Wendler. 2010 (detail)

 Sophia Wendler. 2010 (final work, images are contained within with mirrors and lights)

 Sophia Wendler. 2010 (detail)

Patricia Zakrzewska focused her project around a hip-hop dance group and the energy, movement and submissive nature of its art form. The final images, portraits and performance pictures were built into a moving installation which mirrored something of the dance movements themselves.

Patricia Zakrzewska. 2010 (detail)

Patricia Zakrzewska. 2010 (detail)

Dilek Ercan final work was installed as a grid allowing the pairing of images to be swapped and changed introducing humor and mistrust. Suggestions of apparently random peoples character underlined the mischievous nature of the story teller and in turn the medium itself.

Dilek Ercan. 2010

Dilek Ercan. 2010 (detail)