Encounter - process oriented installation in urban space

The "Encounter" project came about in response to the opportunity created by the "Studier in Trier"* initiative to freely use a former kiosk on Trier's main market square as "Trier's smallest lecture room". From April to June 2022, all departments of the Trier University of Applied Sciences and the University of Trier had the opportunity to design the kiosk and use it for short periods of time to present their degree programmes and make contact with passers-by. The Department of Gemstones and Jewellery decided to integrate this opportunity into the semester project of the 4th semester in the BFA project seminar "Art" under the direction of Prof. Eva-Maria Kollischan.

Encounter

During a visit to the former kiosk on the main market square, the idea arose to understand the pavilion as an object in (urban) space. This resulted in the initial concept of packing the pavilion with material from the hardware store. This process was understood as a commentary on the use of materials in daily life and in buildings.

In addition, disposable material from everyday use, food packaging, was recycled. These became an element of communication between inside and outside.

During the four days, from 3 - 6 June 2022, the pavilion was the basis for installative interventions, including the process of production. By making the process visible to the passers-by, a situation was created that invited exchange and communication.

Through the construction, further ideas developed that were also integrated into the process. The pavilion was understood as a medium to connect inside and outside space through a communicative process. Intensive discussions were evoked with passers-by on topics of sustainability, the use of plastic in everyday life and the concept of art. 

Dismantling was also part of the artistic process, as the question arose as to when the installation was completed. Through the processual nature of the project, the assembly and disassembly phases flowed smoothly into one another. The used material was to be re-used in further installations. Unfortunately it was destroyed by the fire at the Idar-Oberstein campus on 18 July 2022.

This gave rise to the idea of further processing the installation in the form of Photoshop montages. Photos that had documented the project were edited and distorted on the computer. The reduced colour tones of the pavilion were contrasted with partly gaudy, partly soft color nuances. On the basis of the installation, completely new associations were created, that stimulate the viewer's imagination.

Now the newly resulting images were juxtaposed and printed in the Risoprint  technique. They were bound by hand into a book and published in April 2023.

* Studier in Trier is a joint project of the Trier University of Applied Sciences, the University of Trier, the Studierendenwerk Trier and the City of Trier.