DAS SINNBILD
The coating of a globe with a torn sewing pattern seems surprisingly precise and fitting. Like tattooed skin, the crackling thin paper nestling close to the earth's surface, luring us with the promise of a new cartography. Pin, transfer, cut:
With every seam, a fresh design emerges, a patchwork rug of countries, delivered prêt-à-porter from the tailor shop of world history. Every line on this anthropocentric map marks a border, and a certain area of the body's landscape is being made accessible. Borders here are variable, a sewing pattern reacts precisely to various curves of height and increasing or decreasing volumes, without trench warfare or collateral damage. A manual for very individual clothing for the appearance on the political scene.
One's breath halts, and the planet holds its breath: fully blown up, elastic and expandable, this globe consists of a plastic membrane. Filled with CO2, this world seems to be protected from the apocalypse, at least as long as the scissors don't slip when the cloth is cut.
The earth came about through the big bang, it is said, and if a needle deeply penetrates the layers, it will slowly run out of air. The lynchpin of the toy world of the water ball is the North Pole. That is where the navel for blowing it up is located. Through the breath of humanity, in the real world the pack ice is melting here. Scaled down, the world appears 1:43'000'000.
The key for decoding the cryptic inscriptions of this new view of the world is hidden in the legend. A reading aid for the treasure map, the label of the work. In the symbol, the lineament of the globe is translated into a decodable guide, promising orientation.
DAS SINNBILD, however, tells of disruption and discord, darts and alliances. Large things are made small, and what appears tiny, turns out to be huge. As beholders, we don't have firm ground under our feet, firmly located on the foundation of our own standpoint, the world begins to turn before our eyes and blurs into a borderless movement of uncounted sensible views of the world.
ISABEL FRIEDLI
Curatorial assistant, SCHAULAGER, Basel
DAS SINNBILD
2002
Inflatable globe, fabric pattern paper, glue
37 x 30 x 33 cm