Reproduction of Baltensperger + Siepert

Baltensperger + Siepert, 2015
About the production of an artwork in a post-industrial way

Invited to produce a new artwork for the 3rd Ural Industrial Biennale we asked ourselves, how is it possible to produce an artwork in a post-industrial way.

In our understanding art is the practice of critical thinking. Basic research about aesthetics, which means the way we see and the perception of the “world”. As nowadays the perception of things is often not bound to a specific media, the question of the perception of what we call the “world“ therefore is more a philosophical, than just a visual one.

If the production of a meaningful artwork is related to a certain context on a local and global level, and if the production of an artwork is rather an intellectual one than a handcraft, then everybody who has the ability to think critically, to think about philosophical matters, about society … everybody could be an artist.

As a response to this question we decided to disembody our production of art – to disembody Baltensperger + Siepert, and create an Ural-Branch of “Baltensperger + Siepert“ with the objective to let our Ural-Branch independently develop an
artwork under the name of “Baltensperger + Siepert”.

Following an intensive selection process, we hired two local people, and made them familiar with our specific way of creating art. Using our methodology “Baltensperger + Siepert Yekaterinburg-Branch” functioned completely detached from us and produced an independent artwork, which was on display at 3rd Ural Industrial Biennale in Yekaterinburg (RU).

Bild: Baltensperger + Siepert with Ural Branch of Baltensperger + Siepert

Job opening

For a project held in July / August 2015 we are looking for two highly motivated employees to develop and execute new and ground breaking ideas.

Requirements:

– You are a critical thinker who is able to fully commit to an idea
– You are used to creative and abstract thinking
– You are willing to engage yourself into something completely new
– You are interested in global / international relations as well as in cultural and political issues
– You are highly sensitive for actual issues / tendencies in today‘s society
– You are a highly communicative person and willing to work in a small team
– You have high endurance and you are able to deal with a heavy workload
– You are willing to make a difference
– You have at least a basic knowledge in English (able to communicate)

There is a challenging job waiting for you. You will develop new ideas in a very small but highly motivated team.
If that sounds like you, we are very much looking forward to receiving your application.

> Deprussion – Made in Russia

Deprussion – Made in Russia

Baltensperger + Siepert
(Anastasia Baranova + Anastasia Esaulkova) 2015

In the process of the multiplication of “Baltensperger + Siepert”, Anastasia and Anastasia took up the challenge to get deeply into the artistic process of Baltensperger + Siepert. Using the specific methodology of Stefan and David they created an artwork over the course of six weeks. Through their research Anastasia + Anastasia immersed themselves into the topic of identity, its creation and its manifestations on an individual, national, and global level.

With their final work “Deprussion, Made in Russia” they offered the multinational audience of Ural Biennale, to get a small but significant permanent tattoo, saying “Made in Russia”. Hereby they question the common concept of cultural self-localization by labeling an individual using the terminology of labeling economic products. But contrary to economic products the individual is labeled with “Made in Russia” regardless of his/her real country of origin.

By transferring a social stigma with all its controversiality‘s into a public discourse, Anastasia and Anastasia offer a significant shift of view. This voluntary act of self stigmatization in English language connects the tattoo with an identity beyond the nation‘s border of its wearer, puts it in the context of both economic and political structures, and dissociates it from purely nationalistic contexts.