EMBODIED SPACES - Wolkersdorf

Cornelia Mittendorfer
Ernest Pointner
John Hilliard
Mehmet Yakup
Monika Ulbrich
Rudi Fritz
Tijen Erol
Wolfgang Müllner

Unlike other visual strategies such as painting and drawing, photography usually presents its subjects within a smoothly continuous surface and a homogeneous structure — a regular pattern of grain or pixels. Even when this apparent perfection is disrupted, for example through deliberate blurring, the disruption is generally applied evenly across the entire print, creating yet another form of uniformity.

In an attempt to challenge such regularity and introduce a greater variety of visual events for the viewer to engage with, the purpose of this workshop was to identify a range of distinctive devices — such as variable focus, camera movement, underexposure and selective enlargement — and to explore methods of bringing them together within a single pictorial space. The specific techniques and appropriate subject matter were determined during the workshop itself.

In 1997, I was invited by FLUSS to conduct a photography workshop in Krems, coinciding with my exhibition at the Kunsthalle that same year. Although the proposal reflected concerns that were central to my own work at the time, I did not personally produce anything during that week. Consequently, I found myself with rather little to do while the participants were occupied with their own work.

As a direct result of that experience, whenever I am invited to conduct a workshop, I now insist that the production of a new work of my own should form part of the proposal. Fortunately, this approach has consistently produced satisfying results — not least on the occasion of this second invitation from FLUSS.

The outline above served as my brief for the 2015 workshop and, as in Krems, reflected a direction that was then current within my own artistic practice. This time, however, I was able to create something of my own while also offering assistance and advice to the other participants, who in turn were able to contribute to my work.

I was also fortunate to work with an exceptionally talented, inventive and thoughtful group. Their contribution was invaluable to the workshop as a whole, and each participant produced impressive work with which I feel privileged to be associated.

John Hilliard
London, September 2015

Since 1989, FLUSS – Lower Austrian Initiative for Photography and Media Art has been committed to presenting, exploring and critically examining the diverse meanings and relationships associated with photography as an artistic medium.

Through exhibitions, lectures, workshops and, in particular, the annual Weinviertel Photography Weeks, as well as numerous collaborative projects with European partner organisations and presentations at international festivals, FLUSS has established a reputation extending far beyond Austria’s national borders.

The workshop Embodied Spaces, led by John Hilliard, took place at Schloss Wolkersdorf in August 2015 as part of the Weinviertel Photography Weeks. Sabine Maier assisted with the workshop and collaborated on several of the projects.