Lamellar [2023]
A smoke ritual based on the consecration of the Osterschwamm or Schwammweihe is enacted: a peasant tradition performing the embodied pre-industrial dependance on the cycles of nature. Previously lit on the church square in the northern Alpine region and brought to the houses of rural communities, the glowing fungus ignites the ovens for the first time after winter, its fire is a symbol of life and epitomises good luck for the coming year. With the disappearance of open fireplaces and iron stoves, the significance of the ritual decreased. The iron casts and [with Tom Kain and Alex Krobath] the garment with subtle characteristics of Benedictine monks and Bavarian garb - furthermore deriving from the concept of techwear, while drawing heavily on key points from ancient household and workwear - were developed for the ritual in order to interrogate the transformative role of design as a catalysator of current and future speculations of tradition. In the course of the exhibition Spring Affairs [curation], which opened the new offspace Space N.N. [spatial design].
Performance and Installation of Tinder Funghi (Fomes Fomentarius), Iron Casts, Steel, Beech (Fagus Sylvatica), Leather, Wool-Tweed and Poplar. Dimensions variable