Above you will see a changing image from one of the LABs.
WE COMMIT TO MAKING ART, WE COMMIT TO CREATE
Project period: October 2022 – October 2023
Project start: October 2022
Laboratory labs: November 2022 to April 2023
Presentation: June 2023 to July 2023
Catalog presentation: Thursday, February 29
Call for applications in Autumn 2022:
Are you looking for exchange and inspiration to further develop your artistic practice? Are you curious to try out new techniques, formats, and methods and ready to contribute your own expertise? Would you like to engage with the themes and perspectives of others and delve deeply into these discussions?
We offer you—as a creative and artistic individual—the opportunity to participate in a multi-part, inclusive model project. We will create a framework—in terms of content, methodology, and space—to facilitate this mutual learning and provide a space to develop a new work.
The team at KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd, Susanne Blaimschein and Beate Rathmayr, are experienced in guiding artistic processes and projects. Together with the artists Martina Kornfehl and David Wittinghofer, we invite you to a series of workshops culminating in a presentation (May to June 2023).
Overview of all LABs & project milestones
Project start – October 20, 2022
Call for participation in the project and the LABs.
Available as a postcard in Linz and the surrounding area since June.
“Having a commitment provides stability.”
The project launched on Thursday, October 20, 2022, with a premiere: a shadow puppet show performed by all project participants. Within a diverse group of “committed to art and creativity,” images emerged that surprised and inspired. A setting was created that allows for experimentation and enables individuals to immerse themselves in an artistic and creative process, both through exchange and personal expression.
What do I need to get started? How do I begin? How do I actually start?
These questions, designed to help you get started with your own work, will guide the first LAB (workshop) on November 4th, from 2:00 to 5:00 pm. A combination of hands-on activities, input sessions, and opportunities for exchange awaits you.
Those participating for the first time are kindly requested to register at office@kunstraum.at
LAB 1 – 4.11.2022
What a wonderful afternoon we experienced and created together! The first half of the workshop focused on individual and collaborative work within a diverse group of “committed to art and creativity.” The openness each of you brought, as well as the courage and authenticity with which everyone shared brief glimpses into their own varied work, was impressive, touching, and unifying.
…In intensive working sessions, led by Beate Rathmayr, the objects, documentation, works and texts brought along were combined to provide mutual inspiration and to deepen their understanding in encounters of mutual interest…
…As an additional source of input, the visual artist and ceramicist Koni Oberhauser was invited, who, in conversation with David Wittinghofer, took us on a journey into her world of artistic creation, of highs and lows, driving forces and successes, and invited us to a discussion.
LAB 2 – 17.11.2022
What kind of space do I need to be artistically/creatively active? What is that space? What kind of space do I give myself?
These questions were the focus of the second LAB. Space is the center of our discussion on November 17, 2022, from 5:00 PM to 8:00 PM.
LAB 3 – 2.12.2022
Who draws inspiration from chaos and who from order? And what materials, techniques, memories, relationships, actions, and thoughts does each individual access? LAB 3, on the theme “What do you draw inspiration from? What is your pile?”, was a very special afternoon. The abundance of piles brought along, each carefully and randomly selected, allowed us a deeper look into our individual processes. The thoughts and stories that emerged were simply magnificent! The insights offered to us all, with such attentive attention to each “layered thing,” created something empowering, mutually strengthening, and connecting through this kind of abundance.
LAB 4 – 15.12.2022
On Thursday, December 15, 2022, LAB 4 took place from 5:00 to 8:00 pm at KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd. The theme of this LAB focused on craftsmanship. In addition to our own work and some leftover presentations from the last session, we invited guest speakers for the evening. Tim Förster, a graduate of the University of Art and Design Linz with over 20 years of experience in leather design, provided insights in conversation with David Wittinghofer. Beate Rathmayr, in conversation with musician Denisa Doss and her student, explored how craftsmanship can be viewed from a different perspective.
LAB 5 und 6 – 26.01. und 27.01.2023
On two consecutive days, a LAB workshop was held each day focusing on working in one’s own bubble and in a collective bubble. Input from Lisa Spalt and the Friends of Art, on the one hand, brought together results and insights on the topic of the unstable bubble, the process of generating one’s own ideas, and opportunities for experts and previously missing topics. On the other hand, an exchange was initiated with project participants who joined remotely via audio/text messages. Individual work became a fragile collective, constantly evolving and deepening.
LAB 7 – 10.02.2023
With LAB 7, we are launching a series of individual presentations of the planned exhibition contributions for WE COMMIT TO MAKING ART, WE COMMIT TO CREATE. This serves as an interim report, allowing us to gather feedback from the expert group and thus build upon our own work.
The theme of instability, explored from further perspectives, will continue to guide us through input in the next two LABs. Our expert speaker was Dr. Didi Bruckmayr, a singer, musician, and performance artist, who, among other things, had captured our attention with his “Time-Based Choir,” a regular format at the University of Art and Design Linz.
LAB 8 – 23.02.2023
The individual presentations of our own approaches, materials, and ideas are entering their second phase. The focus is on our joint exhibition at the Goethestrasse xtd art space.
To engage in dialogue and answer our questions, we were delighted to welcome biologist and botanist Fritz Schwarz and computer mathematician Wolfgang Freiseisen! Following discussions of various artistic disciplines and by popular demand, the natural sciences now also had their say. Starting with the theme of instability, questions recently arose concerning both water spiders in detail and the universe as a whole.
LAB 9 – 10.03.2023
In LAB 9, the individual presentations and discussions of the planned exhibition contributions remained the central focus.
Recognizing the importance of mutual exchange and the expertise of each individual as essential input, the “speed dating” format was subsequently used to provide a time-limited space and setting for participants to engage in conversations with selected partners in pairs.
LAB 10 – INTENSIVTAGE – 31.03. und 1.04.
Two days dedicated to the project – we invited participants and even brought in some guests.
The first part of the afternoon focused on continuing and concluding the intensive discussions, the (final) individual presentations, and the resulting discussions within the We Commit group.
The second part of the program featured a special kind of speed dating. To discuss individual work with external experts, we hosted this speed dating event. An intimate space was set up in the basement for time-limited one-on-one conversations. The artist Miriam Bajtala, the art educator Karin Schneider, and the photographer Reinhard Winkler were available. Each project participant was able to choose their two conversation partners in advance.
On Saturday, April 1st, we kicked things off with a shared breakfast. The insights, experiences, and input from the speed dating sessions were the main focus. There was a wealth of mutual updates on each other’s work. A packed schedule, and for many, after a long week, quite exhausting. Respectful discussion and honest exchange. Every individual contributes to the group, and the group makes it possible.
LAB 11 – 14.04.2023
How to show it?
How do we show it? That’s the question we’re exploring at Lab 11.
We’re delighted to welcome exhibition designer and artist Thomas Klucker to our discussion, where he will be addressing the exhibition space and its design.
As the designer of the exhibition “We commit to making art, we commit to create,” he shared his working methods and the next steps for the exhibition with us.
Exhibition opening: June 16, 2023
Presentation period: June 2023 – July 2023
INVITATION TO THE EXHIBITION OPENING: WE COMMIT TO MAKING ART. WE COMMIT TO CREATE.
On Unstable Bubbles and Inclusive Collaboration
The exhibition showcases the results of an inclusive model project exploring future-oriented possibilities for artistic collaboration.
For seven months, bi-weekly meetings took place at KunstRaum Goethestrasse xtd, focusing, among other things, on the theme of “Unstable Bubbles.” Conceived as an experimental laboratory, the project enabled participants to delve deeper into these topics together, give them creative form, and now present them publicly. A publication is planned for October 2023.
Featuring works by: Silvia Bartoš, Maria Czernohorszky, Benedictus Quasi Deus, Maria Dirneder, Kerstin Fisslthaler, Arthur Hagg, Eva Kappelmüller, Barbara Koller, Martina Kornfehl, Melanie Ludwig, Andrea Prantl, Beate Rathmayr, Margit Riezinger, Dagmar Scharrer, Hermine Scheiber, Gertraud Sobotka, Sonja Tanzer, Anja Westerfrölke, Anke Wimmer, Monika-Maria Windtner
You can find the invitation on our website here.
