Converting stories and joining them to form new patterns has something conciliatory and healthful to it. The new stories that are created through weaving with wool acquire a warm and soft quality. They are not told for differentiation but make bonds.
The story with feathers talks about longing: longing to be free as a bird, being able to fly and leave the limits of a familiar horizon. I used strips from songs and from a book about the history of spaceflight in combination with the feathers and wool.
The woven story with twigs is all about growing and greening. Maybe it is just a story about spring. 
If you want to see more woven pieces, check out this woven selfie at flickr and a pattern from weaving plastic bags.
growing on
once the promises are covered with moss
soon grass grows all over this story,
later there will be dandelion, clover,
a flock of sheep and
who knows what else will grow
where words were planted *
The book out of which a story grows and greens will be part of a new installation that I am working on. The hand sewn net with paper circles will get longer still and it will climb up the wall.
*the poem in the German original is slightly different in meaning
Vernissage: GDR books go independent
Finally, on the 12th of March, my exhibition about GDR books going independent was opened. We had a wonderful and fun reception at Combinat56, a creative coworking space in Munich. In celebration of the books from my childhood guests had been invited to come in 80s style outfits. Shoulder pads, big hair and neon accessoires certainly added to the fun of the evening…
A highlight for me was the performance of the choir of freelancers. With passion and joy they sang two songs that brought German history alive in the present moment. It was both moving and cheerful.
I was so happy about the many guests and inspiring conversations … Not just my book objects got a lot of positive comments, also the culinary supply (yummy!) by Combinat56 was deservedly praised. Many thanks to everyone who came to the vernissage and who participated in this wonderful evening. Special thanks go to Sina Brübach, founder of this space, who made this exhibition possible and who made sure that the vernissage was the party it was.
Until end of April 2014 you can visit my altered books during normal office hours and evening events at Combinat 56. You might want to check the booking table to see if the big meeting rooms are occupied at the time you want to visit (look for “Ideenschmiede” and “Großer Salon”).
All pictures of the vernissage have been taken by Christine Seidel. More pictures from the exhibition can be seen at flickr.
set-up
Only two days left before my vernissage. Two almost relaxed days, as my husband and I are already done with installing the pictures and objects at Combinat 56. Photographer Simone Naumann accompanied us for a while and took some cool pictures …
One focus in Simone’s photography is storytelling. No wonder her pictures and the altered books were getting on so well. You can find more of her pics from the exhibition set-up here .
ice cold stories
Your frosty smile –
maybe the tip of an iceberg that is melting.
Because
it can only be cool, the invitation
to follow the trace of your mammoth.
After I have been conserving stories in wax I naturally moved to ice. Frozen water immediately starts melting at room temperature – that fits very well to the stories that are also constantly changing their state. Keeping memories frozen must cost a lot of energy!
You can find more pictures of ice cold stories in this flickr-set.
Vernissage at combinat 56
The drive towards self-dependence finds books from my past in ready anticipation: They finish old stories, stop the stream of words and spell change in their very own language. From the 12th of March to the beginning of May I will show books from the GDR in various states of transformation: Some of them have only just broken open, while others have begun to take on organic forms. They can be seen at Combinat 56, a coworking space that has been important in my own phase as a freelancer.
The vernissage takes place on Wednesday, 12th of March from 7 p.m. I am looking forward to the choir of coworkers that will perform some songs from the 80s. Be surprised!
stories in a state of rest
When I am working with books and their stories I always have transformation on my mind, a form of movement, a progressing of evolution. And yet, the moment you look at one of the altered stories, you will find at rest. Even a random text, printed or hand written, emanates a calming pattern, as long as you refrain from reading the words.
I want the hanging “Story in state of rest” to extend further across the wall and into the room. Which means that I need to extend the rest that it takes to assemble the pieces. Interestingly, the components of the resting story look like letters of an unknown language, placed somewhere between runes and modern print. Schriftdruck. A writing on the wall that cannot be understood by reading.
preparations: GDR books go selfemployed
The preparations for my next exhibition are reaching the final ascent. Save the date: The vernissage will be on March 12, 2014. I will show my latest altered books Combinat 56, the creative coworking space in Munich.
GDR books go self-employed. That is the title of my solo show which will feature paper works made from books printed in the GDR. Some of the books have been part of my childhood, others have been literally saved from being thrown into the trash can. 25 Jahre after the fall of the Berlin wall these books are leaving their passiveness and reinvent themselves. The break open and leave, they stop the torrent of words and embody their message with gestures and patterns. They reconciliate with their past and make suggestions for the future. These books have a lot in common with me and the citizens of the former GDR. But the experience of becoming independent connects them to all those who find themselves at a turning point in their development.
gaps have been filled
the weight of a story
depends on
the obsession
to fill the gaps
with solid arguments
– – -working hypothesis of a text linguist
Out of the constitution
I have changed the constitution of the GDR. I cut out all the dead and abstract words. Only few words still had life inside, sometimes just one or two words per page would still speak. I gave them hold with a red thread.
Now the text is in an almost transparent constitution, even the bondage of the thoughts within is exposed. The roots of the new text continue to be visible on the backside of the remaining words.
Here is the poem of the amended constitution. Every line represents a page.
(rough translation).
/CHAPTER 1, Political Foundation/
in town and country clasped in the lower part
the freedom of another people
The natural resources, the mines, power stations, dams and large waters, the natural wealth of the continental shelf are fundamental
air of home
values as a matter of physical culture
/SECTION II, Citizens and Communities in the Society/
every [she] every [he]
man and woman
freed
secret
present invulnerability
the church of their mother tongue
/CHAPTER 3, The Unions and their Rights/
They take part in the revolution
/CHAPTERL 4, The Production Cooperatives and their Rights/
voluntary
/CHAPTER 1, The People’s Chamber/
actualizes evolution
for the duration of worry
fact of presence
on the 60th day on the 45th day on the 15th day
/CHAPTER 2, The State Council/
after the reelection
writes questions
/CHAPTER 3,The Council of Ministers/
It issues names
for collective cognition
/SECTION IV, Legality and Administration of Justice/
Life directly
independent – bound
being listened to
the decision to turn
The constitution changed
in power.
Before I altered the complete constitution I had ripped out some pages and changed them separately. You can see them here and here. The words that I had cut out became the base of my suggestions for an organically shaped constitution, like the one below. 