Artist: Franz Erhard Walther

Thinking about selected works from Franz Erhard in reference to ideas from my current project.

Franz Erhard Walther (b. 1939) is a German artist who has an interest in artefact’s spatial, sensorial, and temporal dimensions. Walther’s practice is distinguished by his enlistment of the viewer as an active participant in realising the work. [1] This interest was sparked by an encounter in 1963 with fabric objects used in tailoring shops, whose ambiguous status between functional supports, aesthetic forms, and garments suggested that sculpture might be reconceived as a bodily adornment.[2]

“Although gestures and bodily movements do not relate to anything beyond themselves, they are still tied to the specific course of action that is intended by the piece: remaining in a designated place, with or without direction; movement within the spatial field, with or without direction; time-related, space-related, body-related.” [3]

His sculptures, in other words, should be thought of as invitations for the viewer to enact specific actions that unfold in relation to the body and often through collaborative engagement. [4]

I’m particularly interested in the series Werksatz or Workset (2008) which present fabric based objects activated via human engagement or performance. During the series exhibitions, ”volunteers activated the sculptures, demonstrating the demands they made on the body, as well as the possible relationships the objects prompted between multiple users.” [5]

I’m interested in how Walther presents these objects and how this could indicate their induction into a performance or activation with the corporeal, and not just as ornamental, non-functional or anthropocentric objects. “Walther was interested in exploring the negotiation between dormant and active states in what he called his used objects. With this terminology – alluding to the idea that the objects were to be used ­– he signalled how they should change materially and also how they might alter the body’s behaviour.” [6]

“This method of creating an artwork … arose out of an interest not in what material is but in what it can do. He saw this as a transformative process. Rather than viewing the static objects as incomplete, or unfulfilled, however, it is possible to read them as the same artwork, in a different state. “ [7] I think this holds great relevance to not just material but the idea of existing objects being utilised as material, and that the possibility of these objects is widened when they aren’t considered dormant or active; material or object; material or outcome; incomplete or complete.

“The static form becomes the ‘stored form’, in which the potential for what the artwork might be is contained within the material of the piece. By claiming a life for the static piece as an artwork, Walther also opened up a space for imagination to become part of the transformative artistic process. Furthermore, by laying out the works for observation, before using volunteers to activate them, Walther allowed the viewers space in which to imaginatively explore what the activated work might look like, and to think about their own body in the artwork.” [8] What strikes me here is the idea that the unknown functionality of the object and “abnormal” or alternative use of material allows for possibility and intrigue. Allowing the viewer to imagine where or how the corporeal could interact with the presented objects. The presenting the actual use of an object, through activation or documentation (moving image or photography for example) could them close down the idea or possibility or imagination to a specific object for a specific purpose. Which could be said to undermine the approach of possibility utilised in the selection of material.

In Werksatz or Workset (2008), the objects are presented directly on the floor with no supports. This could be due to the fact it allows for easier adornment for later performances. It also includes ideas of storage and how these objects would fit into the idea of everyday life and domesticity. In Workset's presentation at Dia Beacon, New York (2021), the sculptures are presented in a non activated state; they are folded and packaged. This presentations references ceremonial folding and storing of national flags, and packing for travel or leisure. [9] Walther refers to these packages as the sculptures’ Lagerform (storage form).[10]

image source: https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[1]-Dia Beacon, "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[2] Dia Beacon, "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[3] Franz Erhard Walther , "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, Dia Beacon, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[4] Dia Beacon, "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[5] Acatia Finbow, 'Franz Erhard Walther, Werksatz (Workset) 2008', case study, Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016, https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/case-studies/franz-erhard-walther, accessed 3 June 2021.

[6] Acatia Finbow, 'Franz Erhard Walther, Werksatz (Workset) 2008', case study, Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016, https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/case-studies/franz-erhard-walther, accessed 3 June 2021.

[7] Acatia Finbow, 'Franz Erhard Walther, Werksatz (Workset) 2008', case study, Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016, https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/case-studies/franz-erhard-walther, accessed 3 June 2021.

[8] Acatia Finbow, 'Franz Erhard Walther, Werksatz (Workset) 2008', case study, Performance At Tate: Into the Space of Art, Tate Research Publication, 2016, https://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/performance-at-tate/case-studies/franz-erhard-walther, accessed 3 June 2021.

[9] Dia Beacon, "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/

[10] Dia Beacon, "Franz Erhard Walther," 2021, https://www.diaart.org/exhibition/exhibitions-projects/franz-erhard-walther-exhibition/