Work documentation - Delphine Chapuis

Work documentation
Delphine Chapuis Schmitz
Erismannstrasse 52 / CH-8004
Zürich / +41 (0)77 440 4680
delphinecs@yahoo.com
www.dchapuis-schmitz.com
Most of the works of Delphine Chapuis Schmitz consist in immaterial settings which
can only be fully concretized when activated by the viewer. The artist, who also received a PhD in Philosophy, not only investigates the conditions of the exhibition and
of the reception of art, she also challenges the viewer in confronting her to linguistic
and spatial voids waiting to be filled. Charlotte Matter
***
The relationship between language and world which was at the center of her philosophical interest also plays an important role in her artistic practice. The analytical
philosophy who tries to determinate this relationship in a unique way with the help
of logic is now turned to the mutlitude of possibilities and their infinite variations,
whereby concrete situations and given structures are the starting point of her artistic
investigations.
Chapuis Schmitz’s interest isn’t primarily to reveal the normative structures and economical forces active in art institutions. Rather she uses the institutional structures in
order to broaden their medial possibilities by making them poetic bearers of meaning.
Pablo Müller
***
For Chapuis Schmitz, space is an adaptable text, a potent screenplay which the participating audience act out, even sometimes themselves direct, leaving our experience of that space inverted, distorted, transformed. Chris Fite-Wassilak
21 Proposals for the Kunsthalle Tropical.
2014. In collaboration with Marcel Meury: leaflet, offset print Mödrudalur, Islande.
The Kunsthalle Tropical has been founded in 2012 by the artist Marcel Meury and the curator
Sandino Scheidegger. It is located in the North of Iceland and can be reached from the Mödrudalur farm, the last inhabited place before the highlands. The Kunsthalle Tropical is a fictional
institution located at a real place. It is activated through collaboration with invited artists.
Together with one of the founders of the Kunsthalle Tropical I have written a series of proposals available to the visitors on site and all displaying potential actualization of this imaginary
space.
Marcel Proust, À la recherche du temps perdu, tome VII, Le Temps retrouvé.
Paris: Éditions Gallimard, 1992, Seite 260, Zeilen 28-32.
2014.
In the framework of the performance “À la recherche d’objets trouvés d’un temps continu”, performed by ZAP in november 2014, a quote of Marcel Proust’s À la recherche du temps perdu is
burried on the location of the Kunsthaus-Extension, Zurich and will remain there.
48. There are things that I want to do but until they have a place they remain
necessarily vague and indeterminate.
and
48. There are things that I want to do but until they have a place they remain
necessarily vague and indeterminate.31
2014. Collection of texts, audioguides, adhesive numbers, spaces of the Museum Haus Konstruktiv (Zurich) over two exhibition periods.
This work consists in a textual exhibition. I have selected for the Museum Haus Konstruktiv 136
texts from artists’ writings, literature and philosophy, as well as dictionary entries and texts
I have written myself. I recorded these texts, had them programmed on an audioguide, and
located them in the whole museum by means of adhesive number positioned at various locations, not only in the exhibition rooms, but also in the café, on the facade, in the elevator, in
the library... When entering one of these numbers on the keypad of the audioguide, the corresponding text begins to play. Each visitor can thus make her own way though the building and
activate her own “private” exhibition.
Different relationships of meaning between the texts and their concrete location can be experienced: At times, a text is given a new meaning by its concrete presence on site, or it can be
reactivated by the contextual shift, at other times, the text can have an effect on the location,
thus shedding new light on what is to be seen and the way it is looked at.
Time and recollection furthermore play an important role in the second exhibition period for
which the localization of the texts has been totally modified, thus producing a new version of
the work, as indicated by the alteration of the title.
> Link to website of the exhibition in Haus Konstruktiv
Stills from the trailer of the exhibition. Video: Mélanie Moser.
31: Most of my work has been conceived with at least a generalized sort of place in mind, but lately my pieces have all
been more specifically bound to one particular site, or rather: one particular situation. This doesn’t mean that I won’t
redo a piece in a new location, or for that matter in a new situation, but it will be a whole new kettle of fish.
www.corner-college.com
2014. Reprogrammed Website.
The exhibition „www.corner-college.com“ took place on the website of Corner College, an
independent art space in Zurich. During the two and a half weeks of the show, the website
was displayed in an unusual way: I asked the programmer of the site to alter its code in order
to “erase” its whole content, i.e. every word and image was programmed so as to appear as
white per default and to reappear as black only when the cursor was moved on it. I subsequently reworked the whole content of the website (announcements of future events, archive of
past events, biographies of involved artists and curators, description of the institution, etc.) by
selecting single words I wanted to stay visible – I used for this the specially created command
“((“ “))” which cancelled the effect of the reprogramming, leaving the words black as usual.
In this way I composed new texts in the form of ephemeral collages out of the found material,
thus exploring different kinds of meaning and sense/non-sense relationships.
A documentation of the reprogrammed website can be provided on demand.
Screenshot of the homepage of Corner College during the exhibition
Spätnachmittag, früh am Abend.
2013. Torn poster, inkjet print on blueback paper, 160 x 220 cm.
„Spätnachmittag, früh am Abend“ has been realized for a group show at the F+F, Schule für
Kunst und Mediendesign in Zurich. Scouting the place in view of the show at the end of an
afternoon / beginning of the evening, I came to register in a text form the state of the rooms as
their where to be perceived at that moment, trying to capture the changing of light, the sounds
coming from various directions, forgotten threads, and diverse left over objects. I then transferred this description on a poster I pasted on the wall and subsequently torn. After the show,
the poster itself disappeared.
View of the work in «Werkschau 2013 Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich»,
F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign, Zurich.
Copies of the artist book entitled Erasmus / Erasme
are being left in the compartments of the parisian
subway train lines 2, 5, and 7 during the opening
times of the exhibition Jeune Création 2012.
The 32 pages black and white booklet is divided
into twelve chapters, each of which is composed of
selected sentences retrieved from Liam Gillick’s essay
Erasmus is late, along with their french translation.
Des exemplaires du livre d’artiste intitulé Erasmus /
Erasme sont déposés dans le métro parisien, à
bord des lignes 2, 5, and 7, pendant les horaires
d’ouverture de l’exposition Jeune Création 2012.
Le livre (n/b, 32p.) est composé de 12 chapitres
contenant chacun une série de phrases extraites
de l’essai de Liam GIllick Erasmus is late. Chacune
des phrases de l’original est accompagnée de sa
traduction française.
An attempt at overcoming solipsism.
2012. This work has been realized for the group show «Jeune Création 2012», Le 104, Paris. It
consists in two parts:
(1) The first is to be seen in the exhibition space and consists in two texts made of black
adhesive letters on a grey wall (see left page).
(2) The second part consists of artist’s books (english/french, 32p., black on grey paper)
which have been left during the opening times of the exhibition on board of the parisian
subway, on the lines 2, 5, and 7 which all stop near by the exhibition space.
N
1:200
H = 4.20m
EG-Zone / Säulenraum
PARTERRE / GROUND FLOOR
11’5.1 – loop
H = 4.20m
L2
N
H = 2.63m
L4
L1
H = 4.20m
EG-Zone / Säulenraum
PARTERRE / GROUND FLOOR
H = 4.20m
L2
Main
Entrance
2013. 5-canals audio, audio player, 5 speakers.
H = 2.71m
EG-Zone / Säulenraum
H = 3.60m
1:200
Elevator
H = 2.63m
Elevator
H = 2.63m
L5
Reception
Desk
EG-Zone
/ Säulenraum
H = 3.60m
H = 2.71m
L3
L4
L1
H = 2.63m
Main
Entrance
L5
Reception
Desk
L3
Floor plan with position of the 5 speakers in the Kunsthaus Baselland.
5 speakers on tripods at ear’s height are placed at five locations in the exhibition space. They
are positioned at the core of the exhibition so that the words arising from them can echo in
the whole space. Pieces of the following sentence are thus to be heard, separated by long
intervals of silence: „Stellen Sie sich vor: eine leere Stelle in der Welt, die noch nicht entdeckt
worden ist.“ I have written this sentence and spoken out loud its components for the recording.
The audio lasts 11 minutes during which the sentence is spoken out and it is played in loop.
Consequently, the words repeatedly reappear during the whole visit of the exhibition.
Gruppenausstellung.
2013. Audio 4’11, 3 iShuffles with headphones, 1 bench.
Three iShuffle with headphones are placed on a bench in a group show: when activated,
they convey the description of an exhibition or, more precisely, of the fictional visit of an
exhibition taking place in the actual exhibition space.
I have conceived the immaterial exhibition based on unrealized ideas the participants to the
actual exhibition – including myself – have had during the preparation of the show. It thus
consists in 4 works fictionally displayed in the real space of the exhibition. The unrealized
works resemble in part the realized ones, and in part distantiate themselves from them. The
visit of the exhibition to be heard consequently finds itself in an ubiquitous state between
reality and potentiality.
I have written the text describing the fictional exhibition during a residency at the Maison
Baron, Embassy of Foreign Artist, and I have spoken them out loud for the audio piece.
View of the installation in the group show «Stuging Point», Piano Nobile, Geneva.
L’appartamento.
2012. Audio 5’50, 2 speakers, computer, black curtains.
L’ombra del crisantemo.
2012. Artist book, black and white, 32 pages, single copy.
The two works “L’appartamento” and «L’ombra del crisantemo» have been realized during a
residency at interno4 in Bologna. Before arriving in the apartment where the residency and
the exhibition were to take place I asked the curators and the other invited artists to send
me a description of the place. I received four texts in Italian and one black and white digital
image.
I used the texts as material for the audio piece “l’appartamento” and the image for the artist
book “L’ombra del crisantemo”.
For “L’appartamento” I have recorded the four texts I received, talking in a whisper, I have
then mixed the four audio tracks together and dispatched them on two speakers arranged
as a tower in the room. An indistinct murmur fills the exhibition space, only some of the
whispered words make their way to the foreground where they can be clearly understood.
I had the picture printed in a poster format which I folded and bound as a book. The noise of
the pixels on the enlarged picture echoes to the whispers in the space.
Ansicht der Installation in Interno4, Bologna.
In partenza
2012. During the opening times of the group show «corso aperto» which took place in Como I
left on board of the trains going from Milano Centrale to Zurich via Como copies of the book
I had written in Como during the three preceding weeks I had spent there as part of a residency. The book is entitled «como», it is black and white, and contains 84 pages in Italian. It
describes scattered fragments of the landscape, sensations evoking memories, images, moments. A copy of the book is available at the library of the Fondazione Ratti, Como (I).
No documentation.
Not Yet Titled.
2013-. Novel in progress.
Since January 2013 I have been working at a novel using the codes of narration but without a
clearly identifiable content to it – or rather: the storyline consists of precisely defined moments
and actions without an explicit narration.
56 Räume / 56 espaces / 56 spaces
2011. Booklets and adhesive numbers, space.
In the vestibule before the entrance to the space, three versions (german, english, and
french) of the same booklet await the visitor. The booklets contain a collection of texts
written by artists, philosophers, writers, and by myself, which reflect the different aspects
of the concept «space», going all the way from abstract reflections to concrete instructions.
Numbers from 1 to 56 are displayed at definite places in the otherwise empty space, each
of them referring to a definite text in the booklet. The localization of the texts in the space is
carefully chosen to as to “fit” the corresponding text. Not only the text are thus localized, but
also their meanings. As a matter of consequence, certain displacements between the usual
meaning and the positioned meaning of the texts are to be observed and experienced.
The following text could for instance be read at position # 4 on the floor by the entrance:
“4. Stripped of any element of the spectacular, the playful or the colorful, this experience
is as simple—but also as serious—as possible. Its key feature is walking—and in fact, since
there is no ultimate goal, strolling.”
Text # 4 was to be read nearby:
«5. My interest in art has never been about abstraction–it has always been about experience
[...] my pieces were meant to be considered experientially.»
Views of the installation at Ziegelackerstrasse 11a, Projekt DA, Bern.
When we came forth, and once more saw the stars.
2012. disco light / exhibition light.
This work consists in two possible situations alternating in the context of a group show (The
videos and the installation in the middle of the space on the pictures left are works by other
artists):
Situation 1 (picture on the left): The exhibition space is empty, the disco light is on, the
exhibition light and the videos are off.
Situtation 2 (picture on the right): When a viewer enters the space, a motion sensor is
activated and turns on a relay station: The disco light is now off and the exhibition light is
on. The videos are furthermore correctly projected thanks to light sensitive cameras and a
computer software specially programmed for this work.
Views of the installation in the group show «Je veux danser, je veux penser...», Hinterhof, Basel.
éternel retour
2011. audio installation for two speakers and a sofa in a group show. 18‘ looped.
The sofa is placed in a corner facing the exhibition space. The two speakers are placed left
and right behind the sofa a bit higher than ear level.
From the speakers my voice endlessly repeats the following words - with long pauses in
between and following a precise rythm:
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - sunday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - monday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - tuesday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - wednesday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - thursday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - friday
die Geschichte aller Geschichten - saturday
No documentation.
Delphine Chapuis Schmitz
Born in 1979 in Boulogne-Billancourt.
lives and works in Zurich.
Awards
2013. Prize of the Canton of Zurich.
2010. Grant of the Kulturfond der Landeshauptstadt Salzburg for participation in the International Summer Academy in Fine Arts.
Residencies
Solo shows
2014. 48. There are things that I want to do but until they have a place they remain necessarily
vague and indeterminate. Museum Haus Konstruktiv, Zurich.
2014. www.cornercollege.com. Corner College, Zurich.
2011. 56 Räume / 56 espaces / 56 spaces. Curated by Projekt Da. Ziegelackerstrasse 11a, Bern.
2011. scenery change. Pah!project, Fribourg.
2011. how to build a space with two legs. Station 21, plattform für junge kunst, Zurich.
2011. De part et d’autre. Galerie du théâtre, Vanves (F).
2010. Zwischenräume. Projektraum Zhdk, Zurich.
Group shows (selection)
* with catalogue
2014. I never read, Artists’ Book Fair „Printed matter’s, LA Art Book Fair“, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2013.
2013. Werkschau 2013. Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign, Zurich.
2013. *It’s all in the details. Exhibition curated by Sabine Schaschl, Kunstmuseum Baselland,
Basel.
2013. Staging point. Exhibition curated by Marie-Eve Knoerle and Madeleine Amsler. Piano
Nobile, Geneva.
2013. I never read, Artists’ Book Fair „Printed matter’s, LA Art Book Fair“, Museum of Contemporary Art, Los Angeles, 2013.
2012. Uno, Interno 4. Bologna.
2012. Catch of the Year. Curated by Andreas Marti. Dienstgebäude, Zurich.
2012. *Jeune Création. Le 104, Paris.
2012. Je veux danser, je veux penser, je veux danser, je veux penser. Curated by Geraldine Tedder, Hinterhof, Basel.
2012. The Presence of the Past in the Future. Stedefreund, Berlin.
2012. *Corso Aperto, Fondazione Ratti, Como.
2012. Master Fine Arts Degree Show. Migrosgebäude Herdern, Zurich.
2012. Joëlle Allet, Delphine Chapuis Schmitz, Esther Kempf. Dienstgebäude, Zurich.
2012. Mit-Ohne. Urgent Paradise. Lausanne.
2011. Catch of the Year. Dienstgebäude, Zurich.
2011. Werkschau 2011. Fachstelle Kultur Kanton Zürich, F+F Schule für Kunst und Mediendesign, Zurich.
2011. Nullpunkt. ewz Unterwerk Selnau, Zurich.
2010. Basement Projects 1. Kunsthaus Aussersihl/Museum Bärengasse, Zurich.
2010. Ruheraum–Kein Essen. Gruppenausstellung intitiated by, and with Richard Wentworth,
Fachschule Viventa, Zurich.
July 2012. Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como (I).
Feb. 2011. Beerhaus-offenes Atelier. Bern.
Sept. 2011. Ziegelackerstrasse 11a. Residency organized by Projekt Da, Bern.
Workshops
2011. In un luogo imprecisato. Workshop with Liliana Moro, organized by Lelio Aiello, déjà.vu,
Bologna.
2011. Kunst im Kopf. Workshop with Erik Streinbrecher. Zhdk, Zurich.
2011. With the rope in the study, the candlestick in the cellar or with the spanner in the kitchen?.
Workshop with Richard Wentworth and Ryan Gander, Zhdk. Zurich.
2010. International Summer Academy of Fine Arts, Salzburg, Class of Liliana Moro.
2010. Workshop with Richard Wentworth. Zhdk. Zurich.
2010. “Produktionsworkshop” with Franziska Koch and Monika Schori. Zhdk and Migros Museum für Gegenwartskunst. Zurich.
Education
2009-2012. Master of Arts in Fine Arts. Zürcher Hochschule der Künste. With felicitation for the
practical work.
2006. PhD in Philosophy. University Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne. Summa cum laude.
2002. Master in Philosophy. University Paris 1-Panthéon Sorbonne. Summa cum laude.
1998-2001. Studies in Philosophy, Art history, Aesthetics. University Toulouse III and Paris
1-Panthéon Sorbonne.
Selected artistic publications - contributions
To whom it may concern. Uno, interno4 editions, Bologna, 2012..
Kunst im Kopf. Interdisziplinäre Zeitschrift N° 2, Lena Conrad (Hg.), Zurich, 2011.
Selected artistic publications - own publications
Rita and Roger at the bar, 2013.
Méditations, 2012.
Ausstellungsräume zu, 2012.
Raum / espace / space (german, english, and french versions), 2011.
Catalogues
It is all in the detail, Exhibition catalogue, Kunsthaus Baselland, Scheidegger and Spiess, 2013.
The Choice is Yours. XVIII Advanced Course in Visual Art with Liliana Moro, Fondazione Antonio Ratti, Como. Contribution by Liliana Moro, Anni Ratti, Andrea Lissoni, Angela Maderna, Eva
Marisaldi, Arto Lindsay, Toni Negri, and all the participating artists, Mousse Publishing, Milano,
2012.
Jeune création 2012, exhibition catalogue, Paris.