Week 16, Bridge Guard 7 Exhibition Opening

Friday 9 February was the opening night of my first exhibition in Sturovo, Slovakia. The exhibition comprised eighteen soft pastel drawings (A4), sixty-five series of seven digital images (45x420mm) and the screening of two video shorts; H20 (5 min.) and Searching for Silent Night (17 min.), the first two videos made during the residency.



5/2 Monday
All is well, bridge still standing.



Gyuri Himmler, the local coordinator for the Bridge Guard Residency (left) welcomed the guests and introduced the speakers. Hanneke Fruehauf (right) of Dutchartdesk.ch from Switzerland opened the exhibition. The speeches were kindly translated by Eva Uzsak (centre) from German into Hungarian.



6/2 Tuesday
All is well, bridge still standing.



I am counting the number of languages used among the people present at the opening in this small Slovak town. I counted six: Hungarian, Slovak, English, German, Dutch, and art.



7/2 Wednesday
All is well, bridge still standing.



I had prepared my speech in English, but had to do it in German, which was required for the translator. Even though I speak German reasonably well, it was not easy to talk about my work in German. My mind was constantly switching back to English, causing me to start sentences in English instead of German. Quite a few times I had to start over again prompted by a polite smile from the translator to the delight of the guests.

The list of exhibited images was made available in three languages; Slovak, Hungarian and English. Both Hungarian and Slovak have many different accents on letters. I tried my best to get them all right. Some of them were not available on my computer. On this blog all proper accents are missing for convenience reasons, my apologies.



8/2 Thursday
All is well, bridge still standing.



Most digital images were recorded using a video camera rather than a digital still camera. The images I record this way differ from the ones taken with a still camera. I discover many images after shooting when I scroll through the footage. It is a joyful process of discovery.

For me, filming and taking stills are closely related to the Buddhist practices of ‘being present with’ and ‘observation’. It is an intimate activity that I impose on the viewer by printing the images quite small. They measure 45x60 mm. The viewer needs to get up close to observe the images.




9/2 Friday
All is well, bridge still standing.



The central theme is that unites my work across all the disciplines I engage in is ‘transition’, a process or period in which someone or something undergoes change from one state to another. I am particularly interested in transitions people aspire to, seek or achieve in life through deliberate actions and rituals.

The video ‘H20’ is a short meditation on the ritualistic collection of water by people in sanctuary of Lourdes, France. They seek transition from being unwell to a state of wellbeing through the medium of water.

‘Searching for Silent Night’ is a musical search among people and buskers in the main streets of Vienna for the essence of Christmas. Silent Night is often sung at the start of a midnight mass. It marks the moment of transition between the most frantic and quietest days of the year, a magical moment at which all goes quiet. I love that moment and the carol that symbolises that moment for me. The video explores the lack of silence at this time of year.

Both videos are similar is style. They were filmed at night, when the camera records less frames per minute, creating series of snapshots rather than a smooth flowing film. I do not stand still or hold the camera steady. Filming is a dynamic process for me, more like a dance with the camera and the subject matter. This style of filming creates abstract footage that carries the viewer from one focussed moment to the next.



10/2 Saturday
All is well, bridge still standing.



Some visitors were surprised to discover that I used the space I live, work and sleep in as the gallery. I used the three large rooms and the hallway for the exhibition. The only area not used was the bathroom.

It was a great evening. People stayed for many hours and I enjoyed their company and interest in my work. The next exhibition opening will be on Friday 13 April 2007, 1:00 p.m., here at the Bridge Guard Residence. The exhibition will illustrate the creative process I do with the kids that live across the road from me in the orphanage (hence the unusual opening time).




11/2 Sunday
All is well, bridge still standing.