Noli Me Tangere (2019)
collaboration with Ann-Kristin Danzinger, Wolf Studio Berlin, June 2019
performance and video work about superficiality, surfaces and (no) desire.
The common phrase"Noli Me Tangere" goes back to a biblical passage: Mary Magdalene meets in the cemetery the already crucified Jesus, who rose from his own grave - but has not yet gone to heaven - he is in a kind of vacuum between death and the final resurrection. Mary Magdalene, who is often suspected to be the first prostitute in human history, runs to the undead Jesus to touch him and thus assure herself his "authenticity". Jesus holds her back with an authoritarian hand gesture and says "Noli Me Tangere" ("Touch me not")
Footage, found during endless night wandering, watched several times in succession:
A penguin wearing a backpack shaped as a penguin is trained to go into a fishmonger's shop and have its rucksack filled with raw fish. From the penguin-shaped backpack, the fishmonger pulls out a wallet that also looks like a penguin and contains just the right amount of money for the portion of raw fish placed in the backpack.
(no punchline)
(but frosting)
Sur - face, surf - ace, the surfing ace of spades, the surfing one - or: surfing on the ace of spades, the one.
The subject is constituted by the number two - by its inherent crack - that defines and creates it. The surface as such, especially when it doesn‘t only function as a container for material, stands in the sign of the number one - and it needs us, the spectators, which we ride on its waves to complete it - we viewers are the surfaces number two.
Depth can also be an escape strategy - as well as height. The superficial is often associated with repression - but the opposite can also be the case: it is courageous and challenging to indulge in the surface layers - being a "slice cleaner fish" instead of a catfish.
