Kunstsammlung NRW
Susan Philipsz, K21 Ständehaus, Foto: Kunstsammlung

Three Questions for... Susan Philipsz

In her free time, Susan Philipsz enjoys listening to David Bowie, Björk, and the US-American singer Bonny Prince Billy. Her artistic work, however, features pieces of classical music, her own singing, or the delicate sound of individual stringed instruments. In 2010, she received the Turner Prize for her sound art projects – until April 6, 2014 her project The Missing String will be on view in the bel etage of the K21 Ständehaus.

#32 met with Susan Philipsz in the exhibition.

#32: In your project The Missing String (2013), you had Richard Strauss’s Metamorphoses for 23 Solo strings performed on war-damaged instruments. Why did you choose a piece by Richard Strauss?

Philipsz: The decision for a work by Richard Strauss occurred only during the work’s development, first because it's very well-known, and because for many visitors, it represents a link to the events of World War II, and in particular the aerial bombardment of Munich. And secondly, because it refers explicitly to the disintegration of musical instruments, to the destructiveness of war. Beyond that, I think it's simply a tremendous piece of music.

#32: Both in your Documenta piece Study for Strings (2012), as well as in The Missing String (2013) in the K21 Ständehaus, you thematize the string instruments in the context of World War II. Are there additional connections between the two works? Is it perhaps possible to interpret Study for Strings as a study for The Missing String?

Philipsz: That's true, there are in fact multiple connections between the two works, both at the level of content, as well as in terms of process and technical procedures. Both works, for example, make reference to World War II, to stringed instruments, and to the symbolism of the string. At the same time, The Missing String is an independent work, one that moreover strongly accentuates the fragmentary character of the destroyed instruments. For me, the broken, the destroyed object, the missing string, also alludes to the disharmony between a state and the people that emerges, for example, in the context of a war.

#32: Your works and sound installations are often associated with specific locations and spaces: Lowlands (2010) was presented below three bridges along the River Clyde in Glasgow, Study for Strings (2012) on a train track in Kassel. At what location in the world would you present The Missing String besides the K21?

Philipsz: The Missing String was created especially for the bel etage of the Ständehaus, and has its home there – which is why the work fits precisely this location, and could hardly function better at a different one. It's difficult to say where else it could have an impact, since this question doesn't really arise for me – location and work belong together.

Questions posed by Arnika Fürgut, an assistant in digital communication at the Kunstsammlung Nordrhein-Westfalen. She prefers Bon Iver to David Bowie, but is nonetheless very impressed by Susan Philipsz's works.

 

 

  1. 08.03.2014 00:01 Jörg Steinmann
    The Missing String von Susan Philipsz zu erleben empfinde ich einfach als wunderbar. Die durch hingebungsvolle Intonation wiederbeseelten Instrumente bilden eine Gesellschaft von Kriegszeugen und nehmen die Besucher in ihre Mitte. Die vitale Sinnlichkeit der Installation packt mich immer wieder. Bitte erhalten Sie die Arbeit in der Kunstsammlung! Kaufen Sie die Installation bitte an!
    MfG Jörg Steinmann

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