The challenge was to capture the spirit of mystery and intrigue that the viewer would feel upon entering the site-specific space and walking through the retrospective. Upon request, several high-level concepts were employed and fitted to a voice that sought to complement Schoerner's work.
I also wrote Schoerner's bio, which also observed tight word limits.
“the court”
Set in the remains of a former squash court, “the court” represents Norbert Schoerner’s “attempt at a retrospective”. As with all of Schoerner’s work, however, looking back entails looking forward, and like the players whose eyes once followed the squash balls ricocheting against the walls - now in front, now behind – the viewer’s gaze gets turned around, reversed, and frozen in the act of looking: a retrospective, then, that looks simultaneously towards the past and the future.
Entering the space through the mezzanine and descending into a claustrophobic ante-chamber, one sees a concrete gate with screens mounted on either side. Images of Schoerner’s past work flash upon the screens. The room is tight; the past affords little breathing space.
Moving through the gate one steps into the present, or the future. The squash court has been merged with a museum. An unassuming bench stands in the middle of the room. On one wall, photos hang in traditional frames: The images are formal, reminding one somehow of impressionism or romanticism, a moment frozen in time, the human relation to landscape, an idea of portraiture… On another wall, flowers are arranged before white screens evoking naturalism, a luscious still life, a whole history of representation…
But increasingly, one has noticed the emptiness of wall upon which the squash balls had once been hit. It contains the energy and history of impact. Soon, however, the gaze bounces back to the pictures, then to the ante-chamber.
The museum / squash game continues…
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