Transformation as a method
“Things are currently interchangeable and are becoming fast-paced, partly due to the digital world. I think we are currently in a transitional period, and transitional spaces are well suited to this,” says Olaf Holzapfel in an Artist Talk with expert Kathleen Reinhardt during the vernissage. For the Schirn Kunsthalle, he created a walk-in sculpture which was constructed in the public courtyard of the former Dondorf printing works, in front of Hall 2. Entitled 'Parlament', the sculpture showcases traditional crafts such as wickerwork, thatching and timber framing. Even in the digital age, these analogue skills have lost none of their modernity and offer a language of their own, rooted in our culture and community.
Despite their rigid structural composition, the precisely arranged twigs, stalks and beams of these exemplary pieces of craftsmanship convey an individual character. The components are partly interconnected and partly free-standing, arranged one above the other to provide a visual and noise barrier towards the busy road. Meanwhile, the oval shape opens out towards the museum. Visitors are invited to take a seat in the 'Parlament' on the seven-metre-long spruce log. This loggia is a platform for the community, located right in the heart of the city. The interplay of natural materials invites us to reflect on the roots that characterise our cultures. “Frankfurt am Main is a city of trade, and the ‘Parlament’ is also about taking action. In a sense, these objects are a form of negotiation expressed through our hands and the materials,” he says. The sculpture also provides a space to discuss our shared responsibilities as a society. How can we forge new alliances? How can we carry our skills into the future? How can we influence the process?
The title of the work provides a clue: Olaf Holzapfel chose it in reference to the book The Parliament of Things: Towards a Political Ecology by the sociologist and philosopher Bruno Latour. "Things, objects and materials are part of our discursive space, and craftspeople transform it," says Holzapfel. Just as in Latour’s metaphor, the connections between humans, technology and nature can be discerned in the abstract aesthetics of weaving, arranging and joining together. Things are incorporated into democratic discourse. This offers an alternative to the anthropocentric perspective, in which humans see themselves as the centre of all processes.
However, the time allotted for discussion in the 'Parlament' is limited, as the materiality of the sculpture, like human beings themselves, is transient. Furthermore, it has been placed in the temporary premises of the Schirn Kunsthalle in the Bockenheim district for two and a half years. Olaf Holzapfel’s artistic vision therefore also highlights the importance of coexistence based on the principle of reciprocity in Frankfurt am Main and across borders.
