Krebber Gereon
The installation It’s that time again[1] by Gereon Krebber (*1973) looks like a dark omen: Heidiland has burnt down, only bleak ruins remain. The black skeleton consists of charred wooden elements that have been pushed into one another and assembled at right angles. Two spaces have been created that can be entered. They only really have space for one person and allow the furrowed surface of the ash to come into contact with the cloth. Backlight shimmers through the spaces between the bars, which are set evenly horizontally. The clearly organised structure is partially broken, individual timbers seem to be missing or protrude haphazardly. The ruin is an artificial construction, with the roof and wall sections missing. It’s that time again consists of charred wood, most of which comes from a burnt-down shelter in Kassel. Supplemented with other wooden elements, the original box shape of the building has been rearranged. There is no such thing as functional architecture any more. The walls are unexpectedly close together; the formerly horizontal supporting beams now stand upright like totems. Like destroyed monuments, they rise precariously into the air, sharply contrasted in pitch black. The cross timbers were already mounted strictly parallel in the shelter; their distance from each other in the original building provided light, air and a partial view. The even, horizontal wooden strips create visual calm and order - now even embedded in the lush green of the lawn, lake and park, framed by mountains. But the tranquillity is deceptive, the visual stability is shaky: Inside, the view is lost in the chiaroscuro, parallels overlap and superimpose. What is in front and behind becomes unclear, our perception struggles with interference. Calm turns into latency, which seems to be waiting menacingly. Krebber transforms the rectangular wooden structure into an architectural 'folly' that unsettles our gaze. The constantly crumbling ash emphasises the disaster scenario with a subliminal smell of burning.
Quote
«A house represents protection and security. It is the constructive shell that puts up a wall between me and the outside and protects me with a roof.»
[1] "Es ist wieder soweit" in German
