The Momental-Stephan Kurr

eröffnung/opening: 5. Mai, 2006 | 19-23:00
6. Mai - 10. Juni, 2006

	Calendar Curator Text Austellung/Exhibition Larissa Fassler Ivana Franke Germaine Koh Stephan Kurr Jeff Preiss Åsa Ståhl Lectures Mark Paterson Christel Weiler + Barbara Gronau Johan Zetterquist mit Judith Manzoni Workshops Stephan Kurr + Jürgen Krusche Markus Miessen


		Kurr \| Erste Entscheidung \| 2004

Stephan Kurr

Erste Entscheidung (First Decision) 1997-2003 | Book Published 2004 by Revolver - Archiv für aktuelle Kunst, Frankfurt/Main (ISBN 3-937577-47-5) with a forword by Kolja Kohlhoff
Installation and Public Off-Site workshop (with Jürgen Krusche)

After his arrival in Berlin, Kurr decided to make the city his own by means of subjective measuring. He distrusted the short, purposeful passageways, conventionally used to navigate the city, attempting to overcome the unconscious habits those paths form. The city is an agglomerate, which is defined by its borders and the explorer seeks to push such boundaries. The starting point was his subjective centre, his personal dwelling in Prenzlauerberg, where he first decided to walk to the right, and at the next possible occasion, turn left. He repeated this zigzag, alternating pattern of decisions until reaching the city limits.
In contrast to the flaneur, each possible turn was taken, not only to investigate the city in the sense of its boundaries, but also to question the orthogonal position of the urban structure itself – to radicalize the urban plan under the weight of its own logic. Unlike motorized traffic the pedestrian is presented with a plethora of options – not limited to footpaths, but also shortcuts carved out of the urban plan, partially treading on private places closed to auto traffic.

Since this imposed procedure is not only called to use each crossing road but all pedestrian possibilities of turning, it disintegrates the orthogonal urban system and disseminates it equally. Playgrounds, cemeteries, allotment gardens, in addition to: passages, parking lots, building sites and private properties; all offer themselves to the pedestrian traverser of the city.

Stephan Kurr born 1961 in Nürnberg, studied art in Kassel and Nürnberg between 1983 and 1991. Selected honours and prizes include: a DAAD scholarship to Yemen, a scholarship of the Ministry for Science and Art from the Free State of Bavaria and a scholarship for the Helsinki International Artist in residence of program, HIAP.

He has developed several public or context-specific works such as: "The blind one, No.3" for the Ryllega Gallery, Hanoi; "Pimeae" in the Kallio quarter, Helsinki; "El Dorado" for the SAW Gallery, Ottawa; "Under the Bridge" in Belgrade; or "Frontier Runners: The Project" in the Sønderjyllands art museum, Tønder in Denmark; "Teatro en la calle de Alcorcón", Madrid, Check Point Charlie in Berlin and in the Spazio Oreste at the 48th Venice Biennale.

He currently lives and works in Berlin. www.kurr.org