‘Meeting’, ‘gathering’ and ‘assembly’ are just some of the many ways to describe an encounter. This fundamental human activity involves discovery and acceptance of information, feelings or memories. From an artistic perspective, I first discover the nature of the place I am in, trying to connect with the ecosystem, whether that be wildlife and vegetation or the public space of a city. Then I gather information about human life in that particular space, such as its history, customs and social ideas. ‘Der Besuch’ therefore symbolises the place where I begin my work. 

In terms of the artwork itself, you can find traces of plants and animals, as well as landscapes typical of the Feldkirch area. The assemblage of figures is my way of connecting with everyone who looks at the painting. I hope that anyone who looks at the graphic of ‘Der Besuch’ will engage with its layers and hidden stories. The colours represent hopes and dreams relating to a potential meeting in the city: ‘Lichtstadt Feldkirch’.

This edition of Ruth Schnell and Martin Kusch’s work was created during their participation at “Lichtstadt Feldkirch” 2023.

As the distance increases, the bird’s eye view of a mega city emerges from the lettering. The cityscape does not represent a specific location, it could be almost anywhere. On closer inspection, the letters and sentences are legible, not arbitrarily or incoherently placed. We become witnesses of a complex artistic approach: The image is produced with the help of a self-written program for generative graphics, in which 3D and text animations, exemplary and symbolic nature- and city shots as well as images of themes of migration, landscape or water are combined to create a visual experience. Which part of the multi-layered work we perceive, depends on the viewing distance.

The image is based on her monumental projection mapping “Flood”, which took up the back of the Montforthaus at the light art festival 2023. The text of the “Universal Declaration of Human Rights”, adopted in 1948, is the visual basis of the constantly changing images. This United Nations Charter of Human Rights comprises 30 articles; further agreements and protocols have been added since 1948 and form the “International Bill of Rights”.