Joel Dittrich » international

Alter Modern Times, Ulstrup Castle [DK]

admin — Sun, 25 Apr 2010 20:19:56 +0000

“To understand the present means carrying out a kind of rough-and-ready archaeological investigation of world culture, which proceeds just as well through re-enactments as through the presentation of artefacts – or again, through the technique of mixing.” – N. Bourriaud

Hvorslev Art Association presents: ALTER MODERN TIMES Live audio visual performance by Joel Dittrich

With several projectors and speakers; layers of pictures, layers of audio, layers of connotations are re-mediated, re-edited, re-mixed, re-used and misused. It is a journal based work in progress art project (video /sound /graphics /photography), which sprung out of the idea of what energies displacement creates, thoughts on what´s next after postmodernism and a will to explore and invent alternatives to the 9-5-lifestyle. The title is inspired by Nicolas Bourriauds´s book “Altermodern” (Tate Publishing, 2009) and by Charlie Chaplin´s film “Modern Times” (1937).

Ultimately this three month stay in New York City will enlighten me, confuse me, ALTER me – something that I will be able to use as an artist, as a teacher and a disobeying villain.

ABOUT

January to april 2010 I displaced myself from Stockholm to live in an artist loft in Brooklyn, New York. I study (video) art theory at School of Visual Arts, a course called “The Fourth Dimension: Video, Space and The Broken Screen”. I walk the streets, go to different art meetings, nightclubs, stores, tourist attractions, gallerys, museums, home partys, the cinema, etc. I interact with people and ask them why they travel, or more correctly, how they (dis)like NYC. I *save* some of what I think stand out, makes a strong impression, alters me. As this stay is already kind of divergent I felt the urge to also simultaneously go back to my roots in art, which is painting. There for I also take a course at Parsons New School For Design, named Abstracting The Figure – where we draw and paint from nude models.

This citation from the foreword of Altermodern pretty much sums up the base of my project. ”Artists are looking for a new modernity that would be based on translation: What matters today is to translate the cultural values of cultural groups and to connect them to the world network. This ‘reloading process’ of modernism according to the twenty-first-century issues could be called altermodernism, a movement connected to the creolisation of cultures and the fight for autonomy, but also the possibility of producing singularities in a more and more standardized world. /- – -/.” “Under the threat from fundamentalism and consumer-driven uniformisation, menaced by massification and the enforced re-abandonment of individual identity, art today needs to reinvent itself, and on a planetary scale. /- – -/ It is neither a petrified kind of time advancing in loops (postmodernism) nor a linear vision of history (modernism), but a positive experience of disorientation through an art-form exploring all dimensions of the present, tracing lines in all directions of time and space. The artist turns cultural nomad: what remains of the Baudelarian model of modernism is no doubt this flânerie, transformed into a technique for generating creativeness and deriving knowledge.”

This project was made possible by the support from Favrskov Art Committee and the work of Hvorslev Art Association. Camera: Charlotte Antser, edit: Joel Dittrich. Many thanks to, in random order: Marie Marqvard, Jane Susanne Andersen, Lone Christensen, Greta Bay, Vicki Nielsen, Hanne Maagaard Jensen, Lilly Friis, Ejvind Andersen, Thorkild Petersen, Christian Marqvard, Charlotte Antser, Alberto Fernández, Erik Södersten, Fredrik Stjärne, Ricardo Fernandez, Martin Söderblom, Jens Larsson, Gudenådalens Ungdomsskole, Ulstrup Skole, Ulstrup Fonden, Share NYC, O-Space NYC

PERFORMANCES

- Share (Issue Project Room) New York City [US] 21 february and 16 march
- O-Space (One Arm Red) New York City [US] 04 march
- Hvorslev Art Association (Ulstrup Castle) Aarhus/Ulstrup [DK] 16-17 april
- Volt Festival (Ström i P2/Sveriges Radio, Uppsala Koncert & Kongress) Uppsala [SE] 5 june
- Norberg Festival (Mimerlaven, Kraftwerk) Norberg [SE] 29-31 july
- Berlin [DE] TBA

Alter Modern Times, Share NYC [US]

admin — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 02:35:21 +0000

A first work in progress performance of Alter Modern Times, at Share (Project Issue Room), Brooklyn, New York, 21 feb 2010.

The title is inspired by Nicolas Bourriauds´s book “Altermodern” (Tate Publishing, 2009) and by Charlie Chaplin´s film “Modern Times” (1937). It is a journal based art project (video /sound /graphics /photography), which sprung out of the idea of what energies displacement creates, thoughts on what´s next after postmodernism and a will to explore and invent alternatives to the 9-5-lifestyle.

This citation from the foreword of Altermodern pretty much sums up the base of my project: “Under the threat from fundamentalism and consumer-driven uniformisation, menaced by massification and the enforced re-abandonment of individual identity, art today needs to reinvent itself, and on a planetary scale. /- – -/ It is neither a petrified kind of time advancing in loops (postmodernism) nor a linear vision of history (modernism), but a positive experience of disorientation through an art-form exploring all dimensions of the present, tracing lines in all directions of time and space. The artist turns cultural nomad: what remains of the Baudelarian model of modernism is no doubt this flânerie, transformed into a technique for generating creativeness and deriving knowledge.”

About the venue: “ISSUE Project Room provides an open and versatile environment where both established and emerging artists can conduct, exhibit and perform new and site-specific work according to their respective visions. Through an evolving collaboration with curators, artists and educators, ISSUE Project Room fosters a wide-range of artistic projects that challenge and expand conventional practices in art.”

Alter Modern Times live audio visual performance:

Alter Modern Times

admin — Mon, 08 Feb 2010 15:12:04 +0000

At the moment I´m in a process of altering my self. Stockholm vs. New York City. More information on this later. I took this photograph from the Empire State Building during my first day in NYC.

Stupid Beauty

admin — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 09:03:41 +0000

Stupid Beauty is the working title of my one man live audio visual performance, which will premiere at Ulstrup Castle, Denmark 16-17.04.2010. More information soon. Edit: New name for the project is Alter Modern Times, see following posts.

Stockholm / Berlin

admin — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 21:10:40 +0000

I was asked to produce an invitation for a cultural exchange event, which I also participated in. It was simply called “Stockholm | Berlin” and the idea of the whole thing is international understanding. In this illustration I began with photographing a vinyl players tone arm. Copying and flipping it vertically makes the illustration symbolize the countrys meeting in a friendly handshake, where the arms are melting into one organism. A handshake through music and DJ-ing, dancing and subcultural values. It´s also about seeing the world through music and culture. The illustration produces an abstract image of two eyes, sort of glasses/shades making the subject visually blindfolded or such. Again that is because the people involved “see” the world through the unifying experience of electronic dance music. The transcendental experience which often occurs enjoying your favourite music could even make you stop thinking, sort of a meditation. The screw-like shapes on the sides makes one think of Frankensteins Monster. That would bee in a good way. Close your eyes just slightly, and the text ”Stockholm | Berlin” becomes the teeth.

Since I am the visual worker in the this constellation I also wanted to ad something extra visual. So I divided the illustration into three layers of color. The three basic colors used in optical color blending. Everything you see from a projector is created out these three colors. Where all three layers meet a perfect gray is visible. Add black and whtite to that, and we have all the colors in the world on this flyer. Sort of.

It was printed in 10.000 copies, half of them for handing out in Berlin and half in Stockholm.