in Oberndorf / Laufen
Salzburg-Austria, Bayern-Germany

"shell & shell"

Rosa Valado, artist from NewYork, created two rooms, in the shape of shells, which are situated opposite on the shores of the river Salzach in Oberndorf and Laufen.

This artwork is at the same time a place for social meetings.
An artwork that is walkable and recordable, comparable with places like cave, house and tent, which always invited humans to stay. Children who loved to play in these rooms during they were built are the living proof for the charm and attraction of those rooms.

In this case art is a materialistic reality, developing from a process of communication. This starts with the cooperation of the company StahlForm and the artist, where Valado was allowed to have her workingplace for 3 weeks, and ends with public events and spontaneous actions. The project of Rosa Valado is basically subject of a general daily process of life and the communication of humans. This includes incompleteness and disagreement. That means in this case that Rosa Valado has layed down only a cell instead of the second shell as a symbol that the appointment between Oberndorf and Laufen still is in a growing process and just like in real life this takes time. Therefore the artwork of the artist has to be understood as "work in progress" – a stimulus for a beginning organic growth period.

The opening of "shell&shell" was done on July 29^th, 99 by the president of EuRegio Salzburg and the mayor of Traunstein, Berchtesgadener Land, Mr Matthias Hemetsberger. He expressed the function of EuRegio for the understanding and actions not only in the economical segment but also in the cultural and art segment. The mayors Mr. Andreas Kienzl, Oberndorf and Ludwig Herzog, Laufen welcomed all with very warmhearted words.

A numerous of people used the invitation of the art- initiative KNIE and took the opportunity to use the "shells" as center for one week of intensive events, including the river Salzach which parts Oberndorf and Laufen, with their cross-border actions.

On Saturday, 31 August 99, the Gosauer artist Paul Jaeg was starting a telecommunication project in one of the locations. He placed himself on the shore in Oberndorf with his painting material and Christa Gallert-Zirzow from Trostberg placed herself on the shore in Laufen with her painting material. 60 minutes they were given instructions via mobile phone. Same instructions for everyone but different results – as different as the artists are. This was an action that caused a lot of excitement on both sides, the artists and the spectators.

Another art-project in regard to the project "Shell" was presented the same day in the evening by a group named ERNAS. Via a tape placed in the center of the shell and laying on the ground they mediated a sound-picture. The transparent shell was a place for meditative listening.

On Sunday a painted model (painted by Ingeborg Anders in the shell) was walking up and down between Oberndorf and Laufen. Project: "body - a basis for painting". During that time the "Kulturring Eggelsberg" invited spectators to take part at a writing action: " the pillar-the sign-the script".

It was just like a party with open grill-fire in the shell when Paul Stadler was presenting his catalogue presentation on Monday. He brought a stand with peaty soil with him and invited grown ups and children to dig up their own catalogue.

With a lot of power and joke the newly founded group "ache 700" from the paper-manufacturing company in Lengfelden introduced itself on Tuesday. With parts of paper drying racks they made a performance and produced a small "ache700". A video complemented the impression of their work.

On Wednesday artists from Laufen and Oberdorf used the shell as exhibition center and showed their works and in the evening there was an art-discussion between the visitors of Gustav Bauer's CD-first presentation. He installed boxes on both shores of the Salzach and you were able to hear metric exact parted cuts of voices.

There was a tight program on Thursday. Thomas Stadler introduced his in New York done work "Brown bag". Basically this is about the behavior of the Americans, which are forced to hide their beer/wine-bottles in brown paper bags as alcohol is forbidden in official locations.

Peter Reutterer was reading from his latest book "Lokalaugenschein". After it got dark Raimund Kirchweger projected his voice-picture-show "Feuer" onto the shell. As it is transparent it was the ideal media for projections.

The closing of the week was an art auction, conducted professional and competent by Robert Messie and accompanied by the performance of the Oberndorfer Triangel Chorus. All actions have been filmed by Ismene Grillich and once again the Salzburger composer Martin Köb proved that he is unreplaceable in being the house-musician of the "Kunstinitiative KNIE".

Ulrike Guggenberger

     
Copyright: Helmut Guggenberger

Oberndorf a.d. Salzach

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