Fishermen’s
Gallery Hilgemann
Berlin 2001
Installation with sound, light and fishing-gear
The Berlin artists Roland Stratmann and Herbert E. Wiegand discovered parallels between the art of fishing and fishing for art in their summer in Norway. With the work Fishermen’s , they create a contemplative atmosphere in the gallery rooms in which the people visiting the exhibition can immerse themselves in the topic in a playful manner and through the `art of fishing´ indulge in idleness without feeling bad about it.
Lyrical texts from the Norwegian author and performer Tone Avenstroup accompany the seaweed sculptures and personal under water shots and lead one to a room with light and sound. Architecturally integrated in the middle of the room is a cube inviting one to fish for art The cube contains 37 unique art specimens.
Like in nature, the water may contain unexpected danger and horror attracting the participant to the fascination of the unknown. Signs show that fishing with dynamite is forbidden. If an explosion happens, then the fishing rod must be immediately pulled out of the pool. This way not every attempt is successful at snatching away a piece of art. Just like fishing in the open sea, with art of fishing, there is the chance of a lucky catch or coming up empty handed.