hasen/blasen/enten/hähne/eisenbahn (rabbits/bubbles/ducks/cocks/railway), 2009

Installation Performance series with Toni Schmale

hasen/blasen/enten (rabbits/bubbles/ducks), 2 x 15min, Secession, Vienna (AT)

hasen/hähne/eisenbahn (rabbits/cocks/railway), 2 x 20min, Projekt- und Hörgalerie „ A und V“, Leipzig (D)

ich will, was du nicht kannst und du kannst, was ich nicht will. - (i want what you cannot offer and you offer what i do not want.), 1 x 15min, Academy of Fine Arts Vienna


our figures are tragicomic, heavily romantic and absolutely adorable. they are fable-like translations which do not describe social networks but make their communication pixels visible. dilemmata (”i want what you cannot offer and you offer what i do not want.”) are components of their situational existence. paralysis and temporary heart problems are symptoms of it. the sequences behave like  a cut-up of image-sound-thoughts-material. as pieces they are composed, but in general they have the possibility to regroup.

exhibition text: Veronika Merklein



Performance (hasen/hähne/eisenbahn (rabbits/cocks/railway), 2009)

The audience enters an L-shaped room, where one can recognize ghetto blasters that look like rabbits, on pedestals. The rabbits are made of cardboard and are illuminated by flashlights which are together look like a child’s drawing of the sun. In the center of the room stands an elevated model railway on a pedestal which runs muttering loudly in a circle. On the left hand side in chicken costumes, two performers (the artists themselves) sit in an empty bathtub. After a while the ”ghetto blaster rabbits” start to talk in ”children‘s voices”… 

 

What‘s the time actually?
  It is 10 behind 3.
And what‘s the time now?
  It is 11 behind 3.
What‘s the time?
  It is almost exactly 11.
I‘m going to bed now.
  But I‘m not tired.
I dream a lot of you.
  Be silent.
I am silent.
  You are silent.
We are silent.
  We have been silent.
Everything is too Perfect.
  I feel so Imperfect.
Thereby I actually wanted just Present.
  I am sorry.
You have not-
  I am sorry.

 

Es ist 10 nach 3.
Un wieviel Uhr ist es jetzt?
  Es ist 11 nach 3.
Wieviel Uhr ist es?
  Es ist ziemlich genau 11.
Ich geh jetzt schlafen.
  Ich bin aber nicht müde.
Ich träume sehr viel von dir.
  Lass schweigen.
Ich schweige.
  Du schweigst.
Wir schweigen.
  Wir haben geschwiegen.
Alles ist einfach zu Perfekt.
  Ich fühle mich so Imperfekt.

Dabei wollte ich doch eigentlich nur Präsens.

The whole dialogue of the rabbits (in German):

http://soundcloud.com/veronika-merklein/hasengespr-ch

The conversation of the rabbits starts over again in reversed roles and is disturbed by the rude buzzing cock conversation that comes from two speakers, which are placed to the left and right of the bathtub. During the conversation, the bathtub is running slowly fully with a yolk-looking liquid.

 

Always your nagging, it is fine now.
  You don’t come up with anything new….
Blame me!
  Quite right.
Just because you are a full-fledged communication objector.
  dah dah dah...
A progress fetishist, efficiency junkie ...
  What else?
An intellectual asshole.
  Oh yes. Thanks for the compliments.
Can‘t you say anything about it?
  Do not know. Prefer to go.
Always when things get uncomfortable, you want to go.
  The evening is over.
We stay here and talk about anything.
  If the poop is on steam, you want to suddenly talk about anything.

 

Is was?  

  Warum fängst du eigentlich immer einen Streit an, wenn wir in Gesellschaft sind?

  Weil ich recht habe.

Du willst mich bloß vorführen.

   Ich dachte du stehst darauf.

Können wir das nicht unter vier Augen klären.

   Hast du etwa Angst, du könntest im Unrecht sein.

Nein.

   Na also.

Ich mag aber nicht Mittelpunkt des Gespräches sein.

   Soso, ansonsten scheust du aber auch nicht das Rampenlicht.  

The whole dialogue of the cocks (in German):

http://soundcloud.com/veronika-merklein/hahnengespraech

The conversation ends with AHA AHA - AHA of the song ”Da Da Da” by Trio. Throughout the song, the performers get out of the bath and leave the room dripping. The song continues and is drowned out by ”I’d rather dance with you than talk to you” by Kings of Convenience, which is sung by the rabbits in pinched voices. The irradiated spotlight on the bathtub goes out. What remains is the diffuse light on the train, moving in a circle. The song ”New York, Rio,Tokyo” by Trio is playing from small speakers underneath the platform.

Documentation of the performance hasen/blasen/enten (rabbits/bubbles/ducks), Secession Vienna, part 1