CONTACT

W A L Z ²

We (Julia und Erik Weiser) are artists from the city of Leipzig in Germany. In March, together with our two children (Oskar, 4 and Tilda Sun, 2) we will set out in our camper van on a journey around Europe, re-engaging with the historic German practice of the Walz, a traveling apprenticeship and learning process undertaken by young artists and craftsmen.
We are looking for European artists’ residencies, art fairs and galleries that would like to become involved in the project. The route for the Walz is not determined in advance. The course that it takes, both geographically and conceptually, will be determined by the invitations that we receive to participate in artists’ residencies and by the events of the journey itself. The multi-media work that we produce on the way – including photographs, sculptures and videos – will reflect this journey.
Our work constantly revolves around the idea of observing and expressing the extraordinary to be found in the everyday. Thus in Erik Weiser’s previous works, everyday objects such as toy cars, video cassettes, car indicator lights or reflectors from DIY stores mutate into art works through adopting new forms – a process of “upcycling” (www.erikweiser.de). Similarly our ever-growing photo-archive peripheralvisions captures humorous and transcendental moments in the – on the face of it – most banal and unpromising situations.
Our purpose in undertaking the Walz is to expand the scope of this exploration: To seek out such manifestations of the everyday in new locations and to locate these in relation to the global currents and events that, whether we are aware of it or not, influence our daily lives. Through our artistic practices we will seek to observe and engage with this tension between the local and the global in the cities and regions to which we travel. The questions that the Walz seeks to answer and that the works will explore are thus: What does it mean to be a “European” artist? How can we produce art that engages with specific localities and their interaction with international trends?
To allow others to participate in the process, photographs and videos of the Walz and of the work in progress will be disseminated via a blog. Furthermore we will be accompanied by TV crews. At its culmination the project – both the journey itself and the works that arise during it – will be published in a book to be authored by Timothy Wray.
Further information about the W A L Z ² and our contact details can be found on our website www.jeweiser.de/walz. A portfolio of our work can be found online at: https://jeweiser.de/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/portfolio_walz_english.pdf
We would be delighted to receive support for the project in any form, in particular we are looking for artist-residency programmes that we can participate in or just visit for a short time Period.
We very much hope to hear from you and would be delighted to answer any questions that you may have. Above all though we hope that you will be interested in becoming a part of the project W A L Z ².