Arthur-Petersen-Preis 2024

Leon Bischinger

 SALON – Rural encounter strategies in East German cultural areas, 2024
Goulash cannon, documentary photographs of individual SALON events, tent roof with olive-green military parachute

S A L O N is a field kitchen
S A L O N is a cultural cannon
S A L O N is an installation
S A L O N is a stage
S A L O N is a monument
S A L O N is interior design
S A L O N is a topic of conversation
S A L O N is field research
S A L O N is a saloon

 “A goulash cannon is (not) a relic. It and the places where it stands are special. They are functional and temporary, uncomfortable but sociable. They are places to eat and exchange ideas.
The SALON project aims to use such a place, discuss it, discuss its political dimension and reconfigure it as something ‘new’."
S A L O N deals with the question of how artistic formats can be developed that counteract current tendencies towards social division and develop democracy-promoting, community-building, political-social effectiveness in rural environments.
In Bischinger's practice, the field of action relates primarily to areas of East German that have so far remained untouched by institutionally initiated impulses. The aim is to stimulate discourses in which the inadequacies of politically motivated educational attempts are revealed and options for action that have been tried and tested 'in the field' are discussed in order to make encounters in public space that have become unlikely possible again.
These encounters are seen as prerequisites for people to actively shape the public life of their region – and thus learn to fill social-spatial gaps in an autonomous, self-effective and small-scale local way. Gaps that, due to historical changes in political and economic systems and system changes, massively reduce the quality of life in rural areas.
With all the methodological plurality and individual diversity of perspectives, the emblematic location of the formats in the object of the goulash cannon proves to be a grounding moment.
The object, its context and 'undertone' is many things: a spatial reference point, a profane-practical object and a means that can open doors through the external impact of the project. The spatial situation around the alleged 'symbol of East German rural cultural space' serves as a framework, aesthetic coloring and silent political commentary for a variety of event formats.
As a research mobile, the S A L O N can collect a variety of experiences and anecdotes that can be considered for the curatorial 'intervention' in rural East German cultural spaces, but can also be of great importance in other complex citizen constellations.
The project's central approach is to use forms of personal exchange based on a feeling of solidarity – despite obvious differences. Instead of big political statements and counter-positionings, the S A L O N relies on the power of small situations. It seems that the biggest changes happen here in a deadlocked political situation:

* in allowing temporary confusion, in hesitating yourself and in recognizing the hesitation of others
* in small, calm but alert moments of mutual perception
* in illustrating political facades in the realm of the honestly emotional

Karla Rosenplänter

All the Young Dudes – Translation of fanfiction into an analogue format, 2024
24.4 x 18.4 cm
Open thread binding, French cross-stitch binding
Paper: Pergraphica Natural Rough 90g, Clairefontaine Trophée 80g Sand
Banderole: Linen
Font: DTL Dorian, Source Code Pro

 Fanfiction is a medium that has gained increasing cultural importance in recent years, but is nevertheless often neglected in academic and design discourses. Fanfiction communities, which often exist in the form of online archives, are microcosms in which fans not only passively consume, but actively create, interpret and develop content. These online platforms are much more than mere forums; they are places of intense debate, critical reflection and collective creativity. The idea that fans love a work so much that they expand on it with their own stories and thus keep it alive is of great fascination.

This fascination served as a starting point for Karla Rosenplänter to examine fanfiction not only as a cultural phenomenon, but also as a design challenge. How can the specific properties of what is actually a purely digital medium be transferred to an analogue format? How can the open, ongoing structure of fanfiction be represented in a book object? How can the visual and haptic design help to reflect its interactivity and collaborative nature?

 The result is a book format that combines fanfiction chapters and associated comments in a structured, yet flexible form. Each chapter of the story is followed by a layer that contains the readers' comments on the respective chapter. This sequence reflects the interactivity and ongoing dialogue that is so characteristic of fanfiction.

 A central part of the theoretical work underlying the book was the critical examination of the world view of the Harry Potter novels and the analysis of "All the Young Dudes" as a queer fanfiction in this universe. This story occupies a special position because it is not only a popular work within the fanfiction community, but also conflicts with the problematic statements made by J.K. Rowling. Rowling has been repeatedly criticized in recent years for anti-trans and anti-queer comments, which has prompted many fans to write their own queer stories in the Harry Potter universe that give the characters created by Rowling new, inclusive meanings. Fanfiction functions here as a medium of resistance and representation and enables fans to inscribe their own identities and ideas into existing works and thus appropriate worlds.

 With her book, Karla Rosenplänter transfers the complex aspects of fanfiction as a creative, collaborative and often subversive medium into an analogue form, thus making the meaning and value of this medium visible even outside of the digital space.

Simon Diepold

Abora – Biodiversity and environmental monitoring in reforestation, 2024

Monitoring unit for collecting environmental data on site-specific microclimates with built-in camera for environmental photography, biodegradable fragrance label, wallpaper

 "Every tree that is planted is much more than just a tree – it is a sign of hope and belief in a future worth living. That is what Abora stands for."

In many forests, the conflict between nature conservation goals and economic forestry goals is omnipresent. This is particularly evident in reforestation. Current solutions that counteract the challenges are mainly business-oriented and therefore far removed from nature. Simon Diepold addresses this with his conceptual design Abora.
Abora makes it clear: Ecology and economy are not contradictory in a sustainable forestry concept.Forests are at the same time a place of longing, a myth, an ecosystem, but also an economic factor. More importantly, forests are part of the basis of human life. The forest ecosystem and the use of wood as a raw material are essential for a climate-neutral future. Especially in times of climate change, the diverse ecosystem functions of an intact and healthy forest are more important than ever.
This is contradicted by the condition of many forests, which is worrying, among other things, because of the large number of bare areas. In the long term, the goal is therefore to sustainably rebuild the forest and strengthen it for the future through near-natural forest management, which particularly increases biodiversity.
The transformation of forests into a resilient climate forest of the future is in full swing. The top priority is to add new climate-resistant tree species to the forests. One of the biggest challenges is to ensure that the seedlings are planted in a location-appropriate manner in order to minimize the otherwise very high mortality in the first few years. A lack of knowledge about new tree species in combination with rapidly changing climatic conditions exacerbates this problem. In addition, protection against wild animal damage requires considerable resources in forestry practice.
Abora therefore consists of two products: Abora Protection and Abora Monitoring. A biodegradable label protects young trees from being eaten by wild animals. It thus reduces the mortality of the young plants and promotes biodiversity. During the degradation process of the label, scents are continuously released that gently keep the wild animals at a distance. The monitoring unit simultaneously records environmental data of the site-specific microclimates in the forest. In addition, photos of the surroundings are taken and mortality is documented using software over a period of four years. The correlation between a tree species, its mortality and the local climate data is ultimately of great importance for forestry science.
The new, data-based knowledge about the optimal site characteristics of the individual tree species can significantly reduce mortality. The transformation towards a sustainable, climate-resistant forest is thus efficiently promoted.

Maria Gerbaulet

 Tiefstart, 2024
Clay, tensioning elements, metal, webbing 512 x 110 x 20cm

 barren, 2024
Wax, metal, plastic obstacle pads 214 x 32 x 51cm

 Drain, 2024
Rapeseed wax, rapeseed oil, drainage, glass, 45 x 25 x 25cm

 Maria Gerbaulet's formal-aesthetic works are about physical states that are transferred to the material level and, as sculptures, have a spatial effect on the recipient's body.
The aim is to maintain and fix a physical, transient state. The malleable materials used (including wax and clay) allow the artist to depict traces of her treatment – deformation, fixation and compression – into the surface.
In all three works from her master's degree shown here, contrasting concepts of the body are juxtaposed: the body as a system (discipline, optimization, objectification) in contrast to the body as a supposedly natural being (deformation of the material, vulnerability, transience).
The ready-mades used, from obstacle supports to fixation systems from drywall construction, tensioning systems or drainage pipes, are employed deliberately and spatially in such a way that the manipulation and augmentation of their function creates irritation within the sculpture.
 In the work Drain, the drainage pipe, which is used to drain liquids and thus protects buildings (or bodies in another context), is completely surrounded by a liquid that fluctuates between a preservative and healing substance.
In Tiefstart, the connection between physical tension and discipline at the moment of the crouch start (“Tiefstart”) before the sprint is transferred to the plastic mass of the clay and creates condensation and tension.
In the work barren, the holders of the jump supports are turned into fixation elements by means of metal buckles, and the jump thus becomes a barrier.
In support of her practical artistic work, Maria Gerbaulet has addressed positions in the theoretical part of her thesis (Von der Hülle zum Material - Schmerzdiskurs von der christlichen Dominanz der Seele hin zum Leiden im Fleisch bei Francis Bacon und Berlinde De Bruyckere, trans. “From the shell to the material - pain discourse from the Christian dominance of the soul to suffering in the flesh in Francis Bacon and Berlinde De Bruyckere”) that transfer the state of pain and the awareness of physical transience to the handling of material and color in a similar way to her practice.

 Tiefstart, 2024

Clay, tension elements, metal, webbing 512 x 110 x 20cm

The connection between tension and discipline of the body at the moment of the crouch start is transferred to the plastic mass of the clay. The clay becomes increasingly condensed towards the top and ends in a flat surface. Side clasps and tension elements that are lashed into the holes underline the holding back and bundling of forces as in the start. In the resting position, the highest acceleration forces are developed at the start. The holes are formed from the negative of a running starting block.

 barren, 2024

Wax, metal, plastic obstacle pads 214 x 32 x 51cm

Wax elements are repeated and form a system, a physical structure that rests on the sides in bowls. The bowls hold the structure and fix it at the same time. The obstacle pads from show jumping are manipulated in their function as ready-mades, with the jump becoming a solid barrier in space due to the metal fixation. The physical structure is shown as a system that deforms under fixation and optimization and becomes a vulnerable object.
The bars represent a method of disciplining animal behavior, a standardized and optimized movement sequence with a high risk of injury for the animal.

 Drain, 2024

Rapeseed wax, rapeseed oil, drainage, glass, 45 x 25 x 25cm

Structures made of rapeseed wax lie in rapeseed oil as different states of a material. The objects, which are somewhere between injured fragments and independent beings, are nourished, preserved, healed and reflected. The aquariums refer to life, while the liquid causes the objects to fluctuate between preservation, healing and dissolution.
Drainage pipes are used to drain water from buildings to protect the building structure. In a medical context, harmful fluids are drained from the body via drains. The function is manipulated in the work so that the protective state becomes a fragile state.