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Tim Etchells at Kunstverein Braunschweig

April 28, 2017

Artist: Tim Etchells

Exhibition title: Together Apart

Curated by: Jule Hillgärtner, Christina Lehnert

Venue: Kunstverein Braunschweig, Braunschweig, Germany

Date: March 4 – May 14, 2017

Photography: Stefan Stark, images copyright and courtesy of the artist and Kunstverein Braunschweig

In postdramatic theater, Tim Etchells plays a crucial role as founder of the well-known performance group Forced Entertainment that is acknowledged world-wide for its radical departure from spoken theater and its unique style since its beginnings in 1984. Besides numerous participations in renowned theater festivals, he performed at Centre George Pompidou, Tanzquartier in Vienna, and Volksbühne Berlin among others. In his solo exhibition Together Apart at Kunstverein Braunschweig Tim Etchells concentrates on a central aspect of the performative act: the spoken word. He explores not only the sounds of words but also the physical presence of language and even the (bodily) reaction of visitors.

Developed for Kunstverein Braunschweig, Tim Etchells’ work Together Apart encompasses all fifteen rooms of Villa Salve Hospes. In this expansive sound installation, language, rather than physical objects, is the focus. Multiple speakers project a voice, apparently giving instructions to the visitors; these consist of English forms of speech that metaphorically refer to different parts of the body: “Go with your heart,” “Keep your eyes peeled,” and “Keep your nose out of it.” While viewers attempt to mentally decipher, or perhaps physically implement, the imperative phrases of these interwoven sounds, the words take on a degree of urgency due to their presence in the space. As a listener, one inevitably has a sense of being personally addressed, and one finds oneself drawn into the situation.

The text stems from a ninety-minute improvisation that culminates in this linguistic composition. Both narrative and poetic at the same time, it links the spaces of Kunstverein Braunschweig. Together Apart sparks associations that accompany or even guide visitors on a social, architectural, physical, and mental level as they make their way through the exhibition spaces. The sound collage repeatedly gives rise to perplexing moments, when scraps of text seem to alternate between their literal and metaphorical meanings or when these meanings seem to break down into syllables of sound through repetition.

In this work Etchells pursues his interest in disrupting the traditional relationship between the body, movement, language, and the viewer in theater and contradicting conventional expectations. How can one make actors recede into the background—or even disappear—and instead activate the observer?

Tim Etchells (*1962) lives and works in Sheffield and London. In 2016 he received the International Ibsen Award together with Forced Entertainment. In addition to numerous engagements throughout the world, such as the Ruhrtriennale 2013, Etchells has also presented his solo projects in conjunction with the Midnight Moments’ Series on New York’s Times Square in 2016 and at the Tate Modern, London in 2015, the Hayward Gallery in 2013, and Künstlerhaus Bremen in 2010.

Audio from Together Apart by Tim Etchells, 2017