24.01
Between Yes and No. Talks. 2024
Corrugated cardboard, shellac
291 x 80 x 100cm
Museum Morsbroich, Leverkusen
DG Munich
When words are spoken aloud, sound waves are generated in the air. Sound waves form physical shapes. These invisible and ephemeral sound images from our everyday lives often form the starting point for Andrea Wolfensberger’s works. This is also the case in her sculpture ensemble Between Yes and No (2022-24), which the artist designed for the historic Hall of Mirrors at Museum Morsbroich as part of the Morsbroich Workshop and which has now grown to four sculptures.
The site-specific sculptures are based on the sounds of the spoken words “yes” and “no”. The sound recordings used come from people from Leverkusen who have given a clear verbal acceptance or rejection. Andrea Wolfensberger thus refers both to the marriage ceremonies regularly held in the Hall of Mirrors by the Leverkusen registry office and to the museum’s lecture and discussion events organized here.
All four objects depict a polyphony. Depending on the viewer’s point of view, the structure of the chosen material – the corrugated cardboard – allows views through, appears transparent and light or heavy and opaque. In addition to their strong sculptural presence in the room, three of the four objects can also be used individually – whether as a wedding table where bridal couples say “I do” or as a lectern and table for speeches and rebuttals. The sculpture Talks (2024) alone functions as a purely sculptural setting that contrasts the historical ambience of the Hall of Mirrors with a contemporary voice.
Dr. Thekla Zell