THE BIRTH OF VOLVA
The moving one (Volvere)
Giving birth (Vulva)
The seer (Völva)
Volvere - the moving one
The stream penetrated the basement and flooded the entire floor. Entirely to the ceiling. Everything was moving. Everything was full of water and mud. In this cellar, my slides were stored, from a past and analog time.
Vulva - giving birth
After a lengthy and challenging rescue operation, I deposited the slides under a porch. Protected but still connected to the umbilical cord of the four seasons. The fertile water, in intertwining with the mud from the creek, entered a dyad with the emulsion of the slides. The power of time did the rest, and, it seems to me, gave birth to a miracle.
Völva - the seer
When I saw the slides for the first time, after all the months under the porch, I was speechless and overwhelmed with all the colors and shapes I was allowed to see. Where once real landscapes and people were pictured, imaginary forms now appeared. It was as if I had a glimpse into a world far away from what we know. As if I were looking into an organic, alien essence.
For more than a year, I only watched the slides afterward, just let me take care of myself. Many artists and I am one of them, have the pervasive desire to create something, to bring things into a personal form. I started to experiment with the pictures. But every mark I put on the art of the time was unsatisfactory and did not inspire me.
It was as though I had to bow to the perfection of things humbly. My act in this feat was done. At the time, I had taken pictures with pleasure. That's it. It felt like I had to leave this I-Am-the-Creator-Illusion to connect with something more significant.
The Volva-Originals were created in 1989 on a journey through China.
I captured many fascinating impressions on these slides. But memories change over time. So also this one. Somehow it was clear that I had to go back to my origins, to China, to encounter the Volva-Pictures.
