Interview of Carl Von Weiler

Interview for Wake and Archipelago, Dilston Grove Gallery, Southwark Park, London. Content can be found on Stratafigura.wordpress.com Written by Victor Delvecchio Enjoy! On the 11th of June, Anne Bean released onto the floor of the Dilston Grove gallery 100 kilometres of shiny, golden ribbon. A fantastic array of media then followed; in the work of William Cobbing and David Cotterrell, videos and sounds were projected adding movement to the still, spreaded ribbon until Carl Von Weiler, the fourth artist involved in the Wake exhibition opened up to a complete change and showed that he is not afraid of taking risks. A tall, articulate yet enigmatic character, Carl von Weiler made use of his most distinctive technique of inversion, a concept following a two year stay in an underground tunnel inside an industrial building in London. Once the door of the old church opens, attention is drawn to the large, heavy balls of wrapped dark fabric rigged to the roof structure. Strapped by a net of tight white string these gigantic cocoons dance overhead like pendulums giving a feeling of dense darkness to the solemn atmosphere. The ribbon has disappeared. Interested to know what had happened it led to this discussion between Victor Delvecchio, Zoe Gilbert and Carl von Weiler. Victor Delvecchio: So got rid of everything. It almost feels to me as if youve organised it all. Carl von Weiler: Hahahahah, yeah, as if tidied it up, hahahaha... No, its more like taking a different course. I think part of the attitude towards it was to make it reverse or turn it inside-out or up-side-down. In a way the project has run through my practise where I invert myself, my body, and record things like video and sound pieces while hanging up-side-down. I think about inversion and reversal a lot in my work. I kind of searched deeply for that into my practise: instead of treating it like an individual, I came with a completly different idea and concept of materials. VD: How did you process? CW: I sort of took seeds, from all of the previous artists. Without Anne Beans yellow ribbon what I did would not exist. Then, from William Cobbing it was difficult to use the video and sound or light as a material so I chose to take some of the seeds and fold them into this; I used one of the figurative elements: the body. Then, Cotterrell opened up the ceiling with his ropes and by hanging projectors that kind of floated. In a way the reference to suspension comes from there and I feel really happy about that. There are sort of echoes, from those coming to this. VD: How do you feel about the overall concept? CW: Well, its a highly unusual exhibition: youre part of a group and you have to respond to what has been done before and also bring something to it that maybe leaves an opening to the person after you. Maybe its been different for Anne Bean as it will for Bronwen Buckeridge, respectively first and last artist. Being in the middle, I couldnt have an idea about the space, come in, and execute an individual approach.

So, I equiped myself with some kind of flexible kit, both physical tools and maybe one or two materials and a mental attitude. Zoe Gilbert: Did you chose or did you tailor the tools to what you knew was in there? CW: There are some advantages of being number four. I knew that there was yellow ribbon involved and even after Cobbing and Cotterrell, I knew that it was still there. I sort of took on a duality: the ribbon being released from a single point flowing into the space - a hundred kilometres of it, spreading onto the floor with Will Cobbings work and then David making it move, projecting light onto it. ZG: It feels quite mischievous, quite cheeky, to contain such a volume of very bright material and to hide it away so that, we known there was yellow ribbon before and now there isnt a single piece left of it. VD: Yes, do you have the feeling to have undergone an editing process? Like editing someone eless work? CW: I thought a little bit about that but everyone has said: really, you can do anything. We are part of a team in a way, I dont think we can hold back here and be sort of polite. Each of us is contributing to the same exhibition... Although, I did feel a little bit cheeky, because once I had started to pack and push all that material into these bags I realised I needed to get it all in, and, hover every single bits left. It felt a bit like clearing up a party. To me, it was important that it appeared colourless, hopefully at this point something else starts to open: references to the building in a different way, using the beams and part of the architecture. At first, I thought of a horse installation when a 6 or 7 horses are standing in the spaces; then I thought of an elephant house. Then I thought, well you cant do that. First there isnt money or space for that. VD: What message do you express here? CW: Yes, there is a sort of undertone here and I thought about it as a kind of a mission church. Seeing these bags being packed, stuffed and hung, it felt a little bit like lynching and the passage of slavery; where ships used to kind of go and pick up slaves an transport them to Britain. These ideas are underthoughts if you like, they just work down, below, somewhere else. What you get there is the phenomenon, the piece thats achieved in the space. VD: Its an interesting point there but one that I didnt realise when looking at your work here; in a gallery you often encounter a tittle or a sort of explanation to the piece; nothing has been printed here to give us a profile of what youve installed. CW: No, and I think it is one of the discussion about this show. If youre coming here as a visitor, youre coming to the fourth or fifth artist; see photographs on the wall; have maybe a name underneath; you have to pick through, especially now that the ribbon has disappeared; youd think: well, what are these images then?. Nothing is explained anywhere, you have to talk to the artists if you want to know what has happened. VD: Is this the first time you have to interact with other artists and work as a group. CW: Yes, it is. I can think of situations where Ive been in a big building with other artists and work something out and work within a space. I was part of a thing, ten years ago, called Dark Field in a derelict building in Hackney Wick where 6 or 7 artists worked in a big factory but we had the process beforehand, concept and

message of this show and therefore why we were together. A lot of that helped with WAKE but it doesnt happen in a together or in a forum. Anne Bean had guidelines as in we shouldnt meet or interact and it felt frustrating but, looking at it, it pushes creation to and through something different. VD: You have earlier mentioned politeness and I know artists are often a susceptible as to being edited by others. CW: Yes, but there is no competition, its not a race but a relay and someone has to break the tape at the end. You do have to make certain choices of which way to go; I didnt choose to leave a bag of sand, a bag of plaster a bag of water a bag of lilies, a bag of ... ribbon. Anne Bean did something very specific and made a performance out of it. Each artist choose one another. Anne Bean, who came up with the concept, chose William Cobbing, who thus chose David Cotterrell who then chose me. Thats how the chain started. VD: With regards to the sort of action/reaction concept, did you restrain yourself from giving too much to your creation? CW: I hope that everyone feel they can do whatever they like, there are no rules. Its more about responding in a very opened way... Its not a very good answer I am giving you. VD: Hahaha, not really, no. CW: Yes, but I know exactly what you mean. I am thinking about Jake and Dinos Chapman who bought a collection of Goya and painted over. There is a question there of politeness and content: I think it doubles the value; whoa! Goya and Chapman on the same canvas and I think these bring genuine and real questions. Hopefully no one feels too polite. But there is a selection here. You chose who is going to interpret and react on your piece and there is consenting; somewhere its consenting not to have control, hahaha. I mean, there are all those nutty ideas and I am hoping that we all had that to kind of flex the muscle to what the possibilities are. I have had to pack some of the ideas I have had in a suitcase and store it for another time. VD: As you may know Art is often a response or a reaction to a particular time or event; there is often a key to decipher the artists complex interpretation; do you feel the rolling progress of this exhibition may soften its impact or sense? CW: Yes, that could be worrying I suppose. The public may be needing and looking for these keys. VD: Does it feel restraining? I doubt much people will get the historical reference of your piece. CW: Maybe. But I think within the confines of this exhibition it is enough; for me, I feel like I have opened up to something different. VD: Carl, thank you. CW: I know nothing about you, though. Thanks!