Arvo Pärt Centre Residency Diary - Part 3
Two weeks have passed, one still to go. The days here are very long, a true dark night only lasts about three hours, I wake up every day at four (and turn around again) because the sun is shining. Here I have to adapt to a slightly different work rhythm based on the opening hours of the centre, but given the amount of time I found a routine that works well.
The centre’s architectural translucence paired with the incredible quality of light just keep amazing me. I had to give up my city atelier last autumn and wanted to get a little prefab house for my forest home in Austria, but as soon as I was ready for buying it was sold out, so I started sketching out my own versions. I developed an intimate relationship with measurement devices and have three finished concepts waiting for a specialist to come and judge which one would work best with the very slopy terrain. I spend quite some time just sitting in different areas here at the centre, analyzing the aesthetic solutions, because this is what makes it so special: good architecture sometimes can feel cold, but this building feels like a soft embrace.
The paintings I made here are mostly spherically shaped, I do believe the curves of the building have an influence. I try to embed light through pearlescent pigments, it just adds another dimension and interacting with art is always fun.
The first week I was almost exclusively working on a commissioned piece for choir, I felt stuck at first but developed a special kind of joy after studying Arvo’s works and finding my own approach towards the medium. It’s a very special project for me and actually the first time I am really collaborating with other artists (apart from curating). An artist is providing the text for my piece which will be part of an even larger concept, I am very curious how it will turn out in the end.
As it seems I will be returning for a few days in winter for different reasons, but I am already looking forward to the magic casted onto the building by another season.
