johannes helden & kunstwillen

[david turgeon <dt@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

browsing the net, i was quite surprised to find out that johannes helden,=20
one of the artists from my list of favourite demos of 2002 (posted sometime=
=20
last december), has a new CD out on trente oiseaux, no less!

here's the texts from the trente oiseaux website.  additionally, i thought=
=20
microsoundlanders might be interested by the bernhard g=FCnter quote=20
contained herein...  what about *your* Kunstwille?!

HOLY &!#  did i just make an on-topic post!??!

have a nice day
~ david

=3D=3D=3D

JOHANNES HELD=C9N
Sketchbook
TOC 025

I'm very happy to have been able to add this young Swedish artist's work to=
=20
Trente Oiseaux's program for this year. Based on  field recordings Johannes=
=20
made while traveling from Sweden to Russia via Norway, Sketchbook is a=20
quiet, moody work of great atmoshpere and devoid of all pretention. In an=20
essay I wrote for the Digital Narcis label=92s new website you will find the=
=20
following statement:

=91=92In my earlier days as an artist, I believed that there had to be=20
something called =91Kunstwille=92 in German (i.e., the will to create art)=
 and=20
a specific gesture (I called =91the art gesture=92 in my own terminology) to=
=20
turn a given material into a work of art. This can indeed bring about=20
excellent results, but there is also an inherent danger in this when the=20
will to create and the =91art gesture=92 become the masters, and artistic=20
sensibility is lost.

Nowadays I have come to distrust the =91artness=92 in art, and feel that I=
=20
should do without the =91will to create=92 and the =91art gesture=92 to=
 create art=20
just the same way one eats, sleeps and breathes. I=92m thinking of the=20
descriptions of Kendo practice Mishima Yukio has put in some of his works:=
=20
the real master has to forget the sword, the enemy, the will to kill the=20
enemy, and the wish to be a master.=92=92

I find that Johannes=92 work on Sketchbook is a perfect example of this=20
=91artless=92 attitude, and this is what I like so much about it.

bernhard g=FCnter, April 2002

POSTSCRIPTUM OCTOBER 2002:
As a part of my ongoing quest to make TRENTE OISEAUX releases ever more=20
interesting and attractive I have decided to start using the Mixed Media CD=
=20
format, giving artists the possibility to not only share their sound work,=
=20
but also any kind of visual work, and also writing. Sketchbook is the first=
=20
TRENTE OISEAUX CD in this format, and contains 17 photos taken by the=20
artist on his above mentioned journey. I have also designed a new full=20
color cover for his CD.

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