2011 Preserved Places (Eschenau)
In the Steigerwald forest – which I consider to be herman de vries’ biotope – I made a big work on a sheet of paper 10 meter long. The idea was to include herman’s shadow within the drawing of the forest, but something did not feel right, so in the end I erased herman. By catching him in moments of shadows of leaves, he is one with his forest and clearly present.
The next day he told me: ‘what fascinates me is this, this small location as part of a much bigger world.’
Then I also started to draw smaller spots in the Steigerwald. Why do I then choose a certain location to make a drawing? I do not know. When i put the paper on the ground, seconds later already it has changed. But from the moment I put down the paper, I follow what I see.
In these drawings I apply shadow to shadow. I am photo-graphing, I am light-writing, one could call it a photogram. I constantly have to turn my hand and myself away so it does not create a shadow.
In a film moments are put into a sequence. The moment I draw moments on top of each other, I am Preserving The Place. The sun progresses, which is creating the place in time. In the drawing all this comes together.