“Vienna calling: comparative contemporary art”

Comparative Art is an academic discipline in the context of art histories. Linguistic Morphology categorizes languages approximately into 4-5 groups by their grammatical structure. See Literature by contemporary Professors of Linguistics: Anatole V. Lyovin & Mary Louise Pratt

Elisabeth Penker, Log-in & Foyer Galerie Nächst St. Stephan Rosemarie Schwarzwälder

The sculptures, audio-films (sound pieces) and the photographs (expanded sculpture) represent different 3rd / 4th -dimensional by documenting different cultural and spatial notions of perspective through usage of collaged and/or spliced structural compositional/formal structures. Structural overlaps between visual art/language/music are considered.

Elisabeth Penker

Poetics of Dead Space 2, 2009-2010 2 Kanäle einer 8-Kanal-Composition, mono /2 channels out of a 8 channel composition, mono Metallstativ, Speaker Yamaha MSB3, CD-Player /metal tripod, Yamaha MSB3 speaker, CD player H: 133 cm Ed. 1/3

Chanel 1 im Log-in, Chanel 4 im Foyer

The non-linear 8-channel composition “Poetics of Dead Space 2”, introduces polysynthetic language morphology combined by the melody which is composed from pre-existing recordings of extinct languages and Penker’s self-made instrument “Untitled Instrument, sonic structure” (see PDF and related essay written by E. Penker at Resonance fm Magazine, upon request at Galerie nächst St. Stephan)

The channel which is upstairs installed uses an existing wall as an acoustic filter and introduced sub-consciousness polysynthetic language morphology into the gallery space. The title refers to the book poetic of space within unused architectural situations of exhibition spaces. „ A Blind Spot (dead angle - Toter Winkel) has a different meaning in terms of acoustics and cannot be compared with the visual context where blind spot is used primarily in conversations.

In music/sound production in film the visual blind spot is used very often by hearing a bike, roller, plane without seeing it. In everyday life we are used and depending by acoustic blind spots for our orientation of the situation and space we are in at the moment. Architectural acoustic issues play an important role during the time of the composition. “Poetic of Dead Space 2” is a context specific composition and deals with: polysynthetic language mor- phology, recordings of the untitled instrument: Sonic structure and acoustic exhibition architecture besides issues which are depending of the unused architecture and their acoustics. EP ______

First Nations Pavillon: Polysynthetische Doppelperspektive, Claude Levi-Strauss, 2006 Fotocollage, C-Print, gerahmter Spiegel/photo-collage, c-print, framed mirror 6-teilig/6 parts 3 x 40,5 x 30,5 cm 2 x 24,5 x 30,5 cm 1 x 60,5 x 48,5 cm Ed.1/3 + 2 AP

A framed mirror from “First Nations Pavilion” is placed in the corner of the log-in space to place the viewer physically in the space, cutting the reflection of the gaze as well mirrors a profile view of the installed photographs. The photo-series relates to polysynthetic language morphology (of the Inuit, First Nations, Maori and Caduveo Indians) and translates within the photographic image their structural common visual grammar. Because they would create a frontal view which was made out of 2 (split) profile views thereby creating a 4-dimensional perspective that anticipated/parallels Cubism, who later presented multiple perspectives within one image, which intended to represent movement through time and space. Specific references are in the related pdf, upon request at Galerie nächst St. Stephan. EP ______

Split Representation, Claude Levi-Strauss, 2009 C-Print/c-print 5-teilig/5 parts, je/each 24,5 x 30,5 cm Ed.1/5 + 2 AP

The camera positions of a right angle mirror „Split Representation” were chosen by E. Penker in the way that the flash is not in the image, the photos are made utilizing a right angle mirror which both fragments and reflects the image, creating multiple or a split perspective. EP ______

Bench-Shelf, 2003 Acryl auf Pappelsperrholz /acrylic on poplar plywood 46 x 151 x 42 cm

The bench, which is the earliest work in the exhibition, mirrors the bottom and the top seating elements thereby giving the object an asymmetrical appearance. The bench-shelf was originally designed for a video archive was later used by museum staff (in Porto) as gallery furniture. EP ______

Hanging Chairs, 2009 Holz, Metallhaken, Acrylfarbe /wood, metal hooks, acrylic 100 x 182,5 x 22 cm

Hanging, on the wall are 2 chair objects hung similar to Shaker/Amish chair hanging construction, which were as well designed to hang on the wall not to take up valuable floor space. Two objects are sculptural hand-made “sculptural-chairs”, which cannot stand alone. The second object is a folding chair which is folded flat and painted one color from a frontal view in the color of Amish board design, by unfolding the chair the original color of the wood is clearly visible creating a second composition (or view). Numerous contemporary artists, e.g. Donald Judd, have related the Shakers/Amish radical functionalism to their sculptural practice. EP

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Log [Baumstamm], 2010 Archivierung der Raumfarbe Acryl auf Holz 5teilig, je 5 x 5 x 400 cm

Archiving of the wall color acrylic on wood 5 parts, each 5 x 5 x 400 cm

The (English) linguistic derivation of “log” is a tree trunk (germ. Baumstamm) for that reason; wood was chosen as the material. The single 5 squared timbers (or logs) which have 4 equal sides are painted in the 4 previous colors and the 1 existing white color of the Log-in space. When the wood timbers are installed horizontally on top of each other or vertically next to each other the amount of color combinations are calculative. When the single timbers are installed in various angles within the architecture, it becomes an endless relational system. Visually it looks and sounds like a silent multichannel sound file with the sound of the architecture by itself. EP

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Legwarmer, 2006 Papier, s/w-Kopien, Fotocollagen auf Holz, Baumwolle /paper, b/w copies, photo-collages on wood 97 x 35,5 x 35, 5 cm

Legwarmer collages freestyle modern and so-called ‘primitive’ or highly developed art images together. High contrast b/w photo-collages. The fabric piece legwarmer makes relation to pedestal which present the body. Since it is a paper work on a pedestal all 5 sights have different images. EP