The project The Politics of Geometry for urban interface | berlin is separated in two distinct parts. One is a formal connexion by mail between the artist and occupants of specific locations of the site of the project. The second part is a soundwalk to be taken along Ackerstrasse, which draws a line on the south-north axis across the site. These two parts of the work can be accessed and are documented on the website.

The first part is called Blind Lines. It is actually a stalking project. One of the most frightening features of politics is its blindness. Decisions for a new tax, the site of a dump or subway station, or the path of a new highway are completly ignorant of human feelings. Same for war, of course. One of the most famous illustration of this is the design of the Berlin Wall, which cut people from their work, separated families, even cut some houses from their front street access, all for a geometric vision of how the world should go. While the actual wall went down in 1989, the geometric features of politics still abound and, like in some Kundera’s novel, one can — should — always fear that his or her number will come up in the gigantic lottery of political decisions and its geometrical mecanism.

Blind Lines goes to the four locations indicated on the Mitte-Wedding map by the crossing of the map lines. These points of crossing are identified, the names and addresses are noted, and postcards with the names and occupants of the 4 sites are sent to each of them, warning them to the fact that they have been chosen — want it or not — for an art project and that their names are now public. Of course, they always have been: our names are one of the public aspects of our lives. Waiting to be picked out.

The second part of the project is a soundwalk. It deals with geometry in a different way. Back in 1961, when the wall was first built, there was on Bernauerstrasse a church called Church of Reconciliation (Versöhnungskirche). This church happened to be right on the line that planners wanted to follow for the building of the wall. So they resolved to make a little exception and built the wall in a short curve around the church building. With time, this exception to the geometry of the wall became intolerable: geometry has its rules and they are to be followed. So in 1985, they blasted the church down with dynamite. But the wall went down in 1989, the bells had been kept and they have been returned to their former site in 1998. Of course, church bells impose their own geometry of concurrent cycles, albeit in time instead of space, in sounds instead of stones.

This second part of The Politics of Geometry is called The Bells of the Church of Reconciliation. It is an audio piece that is meant to be listened to on a portable mp3 player while walking along Ackerstrasse, from south to north, from Torstrasse to Scheringstrasse, which is clearly indicated by an important metal bridge. It can be downloaded from the web site, or an mp3 player can also be borrowed at the uib headquarters. The walk from Torstrasse to Scheringstrasse takes about 25 minutes to a good walker, the piece is 36 minutes long, so there is plenty of time to pause and wander.

Photo credit: Daniela Friebel
Model: Anne Greuling

Sites Blind Lines
Chausseestr. 52 A/52 B, Borsigstr. 14, Grenzstr. 5, Wattstr. 17/18 A, Bernauer Str. 111

Starting Point The Bells of the Church of Reconciliation
Ackerstraße / Corner of Torstraße

Time
April 15 to May 6, 2007
The mp3-files for the sound walk can be downloaded from www.lenomdelachose/geometrie. There are also two iPods available at the uib headquarters containing these soundfiles, which can be borrowed (a valid ID card and your phone number plus a security deposit of 30 EUR is required).

www.lenomdelachose/geometrie

Jocelyn Robert (CA)
Over the last twenty years, Jocelyn Robert has been producing audio art, performance, computer art, installation, video and writing. At least fifteen CDs of his major solo works have been published, and he has participated in a further twenty releases with other artists. His installations and video works have been seen in Canada, the United States, Chile, Europe and Australia. In 1993 he founded Avatar, an audio and electronic arts centre in Québec City, Canada, where he lives.
www.lenomdelachose.org/jrobert

With kind support from the Conseil des Arts et des Lettres du Québec and the Bureau du Québec in Berlin.