Brandstifter: Lost & Found in Mainz [205]

Brandstifter: Lost & Found 2012… Asphaltbibliotheque Mainz

June 06 - August 26, Main Station Square, 55116 Mainz

Brandstifter, the German conceptual artist who performed a cassette tape reading at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery opening of A Book About Death in 2009 has set up shop in Mainz, Germany.

The conceptual installation with lost & found sheets of paper from the streets of Mainz collected by Brandstifter are presented on the outside of an accessible wooden cube in front of main station for three months (through August)at the art in public space project by V.E.B. Freie Brandstiftung in cooperation with Kulturdezernat Landeshauptstadt Mainz.

Visitors or passerby can take part in the exhibition by submitting their found papers for the participative project in the mail box at the cube. The Asphalt Librarian will turn them into large Blow ups and integrate them into the constantly changing exhibition. Brandstifter developed his concept Asphaltbibliotheque for archiving found pieces of papers at Mainzer Galerie Walpodenstraße 21 in 1998.

Since then he collects and exhibits them worldwide for example 2009 as artist in residency at Flux Factory New York with grants by Schloss Balmoral, Stiftung Rheinland-Pfalz für Kultur. The three month exhibition will be guided by an opening reception on June 16, 6pm in the shape of an EXCHANGE BUREAU FOR LOST&FOUND SHEETS OF PAPER, a 24h performance with members of the performing arts ensemble “Raum (0)” on July 27, a FLUX exchange project arcross the river Rhine with Ben Patterson (A Penny for your thoughts) at the cube in Mainz and Brandstifter at Ben's Pavillion, Museum Wiesbaden as well as an art zine that displays the progress of the project and lost&found art that can be submitted by E-mail through brand@brand-stiftung.net

Brandstifter NYC Performance : Das Band des Todes / The Tape of Death [42]

Brandstifter's original performance, Das Band des Todes, at A Book About Death, September 10, 2009 at the Emily Harvey Foundation Gallery, NYC, NY.

Zunächst stellte ich mich allen Besuchern der Emily Harvey Galerie persönlich vor und bat sie über ein Mikrofon ihren Namen auf eine Audiokassette in meinen tragbaren Kassettenrecorder zu sprechen. Bei der Performance spielte ich dann das Band mit den vor einer Stunde aufgenommen Namen und Hintergrundgeräuschen von der Ausstellungseröffnung ab. An den Anfang der Kassette hatte ich den Hinweis, dass alle nachfolgend genannten Personen sterben werden, aufgenommen. Nachdem der letzte Name verkündet war nahm ich die Kassette aus dem Abspielgerät, drängte mich durchs Publikum, zog dabei das Band aus der Kassette und verband damit die Anwesenden. Ich weiß nicht ob jemand der Teilnehmer mittlerweile verstorben ist, aber wir werden...

– Brandstifter, New York, 10/31 2009

Brandstifter (Firestarter) is an interdisciplinary Artist and Networker from Germany, and is currently Balmoral Artist in Residence at Flux Factory, New York. Through Happening and Visual and Perfomance Art, as well as sound and music, he uses communicative means of social interaction to transform anarchic concepts from everyday life into burning-down-the-house Intermedia. See Brandstifter's website : www.brand-stiftung.net