Brigitte Dätwyler

10 Jahre Freundschaft
2010
Projector, video camera, Mini DVs, four spots, camping table, two office chairs, warderobe, various props
21'
  • entrance video: title
  • unpacking the props
  • locking lips
  • during reading of Anet
  • couple's therapy
  • on the couch quarreling
  • vegetable fingers: you call this a meal?
  • amused
  • if with art it doesn't work out, you can get a baby
  • fumbling through tapes
  • playing tambourine and with water from Ganges
  • the director with Anet and the fancy cake
  • eating cake and watching videos
  • namaste
entrance video: titleunpacking the propslocking lipsduring reading of Anetcouple's therapyon the couch quarrelingvegetable fingers: you call this a meal?amusedif with art it doesn't work out, you can get a babyfumbling through tapesplaying tambourine and with water from Gangesthe director with Anet and the fancy cakeeating cake and watching videosnamaste

General
During 20' the audience witnesses the encounter of two artistfriends. In these 20' they're working on putting up a meal with the intention to eat it together, which they partly also do. While doing so, they are watching video tapes from their common private archive and are more or less commenting on them by deeds and words.

About
This retrospective of Anet Hofer and Brigitte Dätwyler does not refer to a common oeuvre, but to the circumstances of their encounter at Lucerne School of Art and Design, to the differences of their understanding of Art and to their friendship's performative experiments. In the performance, the videos stand for these aspects in a figurative manner. The performers fish them out of their accumulated video footage and put them on display over the screen.
With this investigation of the relation between Art and friendship the performer's handling of the medium video is given priority formally. Thus, queries with regards to content arise, as to the performativity of an encouter; the separation between Art and life is elaborated and performed simultaneously: How authentic can one act in the presence of a camera and on a stage?

Setting
On a camping table lies a video camera with a pile of Mini DVs next to it. The camera is connected to the projector and thus the image directly transmitted onto the screen. On both sides of the table there are office chairs. The spots are directed to the table and the wardrobe, which is standing further away on the left side of the stage.

Part 1: Locking lips - 7' (studio, Zurich, 2002, Anet Hofer – vegetable fingers)
Entrance of the performers, organising the setting (unpacking the bag brought along). In turns, texts about the fellow performer and friend are read while the other continues to arrange the things on the table.

Part 2: In couple's therapy - 8' (office Weinberg, Zurich, 2010, Brigitte Dätwyler – cold meat)
Quarrel and discussion, interrupted and completed by video.

Part 3: At the Ganges river - 4' (river bank, Rishikesh, India, 2010, Max Treier – dessert)
The director of the Museum of Art Lucerne brings in a fancy cake, has his photograph taken and congratulates. The performers eat the cake watching video.

The texts about each other can be downloaded here and here.

Documentary film of the Performance
from December 2010
at Kunstmuseum Luzern
20'

Two friends and artists are building up a meal and watching videos from their private archive.

brigittedaetwyler.ch/​performance/​10_jahre_freundschaft

© Brigitte Dätwyler 2011