Laura Marie Preßmar + Jack Pavlik
September 26–October 9, 2021
“x steps” by Laura Marie Preßmar
Tell us about the artwork. What makes it unique?
“When does time pass by extremely slowly? When extremely quickly? Although it always passes the same way – one hour, 60 minutes, 3600 seconds – not a single day goes by at the same pace as the one before it.
x steps is an experiment. The goal of this work was to contemplate, to analyse and to experiment with the differences and the mode of action of lm and performance and to put them up against each other. We dealt with the topic of time as a link to connect the medias lm and performance. Which possibilities of depicting time are reserved for lm, which for the stage? How can the absolute presence which evolves from the corporeality of the performers be transferred to a movie? With our project we want to open a space for free thoughts on the concept of time and how we deal with it in modern society.”
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video/digital media?
Koprow&Preßmar is a collective consisting of Michelle Koprow and Laura-Marie Preßmar. After getting to know each other during their Bachelor's degree in theater studies in Mainz, Germany, the collective was founded. It focusses on video art, performances, installations and the interfaces inbetween. They are interested in crossovers between audiovisual and performance elements on stage as well as performative elements in lm, experimenting with the opportunities that the medium lm offers in order to open up spaces for the audiences free association by creating absurd situations and playing with atmosphere. Both have collected different and various experiences in theater and visual art before beginning their master programs in Gießen (Koprow) and Frankfurt am Main (Preßmar). The collective is based in Frankfurt am Main, Germany, and was invited to multiple exhibitions and international festivals.
“Zero Sum Sitting” Jack Pavlik
Tell us about the artwork. What makes it unique?
“This is from a series of performative videos having to do with the concept of the “zero sum game”, the idea that one individual must lose for another to profit. In this work the structures of the chairs are tied together, creating a system allowing the possibility to occupy only one chair out of the three. The competition to dominate with movements and adjustments in this piece go on until almost complete collapse of the linked structure. This work unique in that the performance is created by the unusual use of common objects. As an artist I am continually pairing distinct forces and objects in portrayals of competition and tenuous coexistence. In my earlier work I paired mechanical elements with organic forms. These constructions demonstrated a visual competition; a question being posed to the viewer. Are we in control of our constructed machines, or are the machines controlling us?”
Tell us about yourself. How did you come to be an artist in video/digital media?
“As an inter-disciplinary artist I work with video to as a method of story telling with constructed sculptural objects. The body of work entitled “Zero Sum Sitting” grew organically out of the necessity of documenting performative objects. These objects/sculptural forms were constructions of folding chairs and linking mechanisms that functioned as machines where one person’s mass was used to displace another. After a number of videosI started to design the chair-objects with a filmmaking story in mind.”