25th June – 25th July at KCCC Residence is staying poet from Germany Ines Carola Baumgartl (b. 1965). This artists exchange is realised in collaboration will Ahresnhoop Künstlerhaus Lukas.
Artist statement:
I am writing poems, free renderings of Russian poetry, texts for artists (texts for catalogues, opening speeches for exhibitions and portraits).
Currently I am in preparation for my second book of poems, which is meant to be called: ‘Ausflugssucht’. Thematically it combines texts about trips of various kinds: from journeys on the sea, via travels through countrysides and expeditions through the ‘DUDEN’ up to the awakening of love.
Another project: ‚Poetry and Movement‘ has two components: the collection of material concerning the theme ‘trips’ and its lyric connotation as well as its creative transformation into performative elements.
During my readings I wish to combine my poetic language and physical presence with as much authenticity as possible. Therefore, as a poet, I have begun to connect my own lyrics with improvised or choreographed movements in rhythms. This project is just starting.
In the domain of renderings of Russian texts I am currently working at two projects.
The first one is the soon coming collection of poems “Sky then scherben”, renderings of Jelisaveta Kusmina-Karavajeva’s poems from the Silver Age.
Two travels toWestern Siberialed me to the Nenzic reindeer herder and poet Jurij Vella whose lyrics I am going to render into German by including the sound of original Nenzic, using genuine voice recordings since the Russian language can just be a mediator here.
6 p.m. 22nd July opens poetry on textile exhibition „In the Amber” at CKKK Art courtyard (Baznyciu st 4).
In The Amber
I have not become acquainted withKlaipedaand its surroundings exploring the place systematically with the help of city map, travel guide and camera.
That is why the newly-formed texts are still a loose knit collection of impressions. They describe the ties between the world I come from and the one I have been able to discover here, ties which have come into being through travelling.
The texts have been put onto cloths by theBerlinartist Rita Zepf (born in 1956) who used a sewing machine to “write” them. The cloths could be scarfs women in the harbour hold in their hands when they are waving farewell, scarfs fluttering in the wind like signal flags.
The first poem I wrote here describes my thoughts during the arrival at the port as it was a ship that brought me toKlaipeda. The news from the German maritime weather service intermingles with the expectations for new discoveries.
And Simon Dach’s “Anke van Tharaw” is singing along.
While strolling through the town I reached theParkofSculptureswhere I encountered a work of art by the sculptor R. Midviki on which I discovered a text in Lithuanian that immediately fascinated me because of its sound. I read the English translation of this old folksong and made a German adaptation. In this way I bow to my Lithuanian hosts and say thank you.
Another poem attempts to describe the term of yearning for the beloved I left in the home port. I went ashore at the famous amber coast. Thus I developed the idea to describe my own memories and feelings as if they were enchased in amber. This idea – that it is a piece of time which is caught in every single lump of amber – is a theme I intend to work on now. Lithuanians, Russians and Germans with their stories have left their marks inside me.
The POEM is the amber which visualizes my “trips”.
Exhibition lasts until 11th August
