Georg Winter
Less than nothing is yet more than everything.
°yara yonugu nonbeber syo boy / yara yeni emme nunon komdyu boy / yara bire emme nunon komdyu boy /...... Gesang der Dogon von Sanga / Senegal
Attention! While you are holding this book in your hands and read these words you cannot produce or manipulate anything else.
My mission is to write a text for Philip Metz‘ noproductionproduction that makes you want to read on to keep you from putting away the book. You are now undoubtedly involved in the production of noproductionproduction. Merely the attention you have already been paying to the current situation and continue to pay shows that you seem to accept the altered preconditions of the production so far or that you do not know yet what you just got involved with. The name noproductionproduction says it all.
Attempt of an approach:
No equals oN
No production! primarily stands for “not producing“ as a critical denial (“all wheel stand still if it’s our strong arm’s will” labor movement in the 19th century) as well as for laziness (“Let us be slothful in all things but not be slothful towards love and wine, not be slothful towards slothfulness“, Lessing) or for convenience.
Productionproduction resembles the production of a production and is a term used in cybernetics. The Relations of Production are productively being put in relations. Systems theory and self-organization distinguish multiple structures of the observed reality of observation.
Noproductionproduction includes and demands possible discrepancies and paradoxes. The absurdity of this concept concerning a yet to be made production of art becomes absorbed in the self-conception of Philip Metz’ applied art and the participants in his projects. The production of Nothing or the non-production of Something demonstrates the absurdity of the conventional production principles of the arts by finding a blind spot in the middle of a dazzling retina which is responsible for the cognition process. It means to work on the circumstances which justify our existence and enliven the arts by a continuous negotiation. Taking Philip Metz‘ noproductionproduction as a form of criticism on the art scene and the corresponding parameters like omnipotence, omnipresence, increase of capital stock, inclusion/exclusion, selection and so forth would be too petty. It actually means to reformat the choreography of artistic relations of production by dancing, starting at the inside of the system with full interest and attendance. “Liveness!”
When the Japanese actor Yosho Oida arrived in Europe, he came with a phrase he knew from his No teacher: “ri-ken-no-ken“, meaning “a different view”. He refers to a tradition of the No master Seami. Ri-ken-no-ken means, to pay attention to the eye focused on the outside world while acting on the stage. Once achieved, it is possible to share the experience of a common world with the audience. It means to completely merge with an improvised situation and look at you from the front, with the eye of the audience at the same time. Later, in Japan, Oida tells his teacher “Ri-ken-no-ken” means to look at you from the rear not from the front.” And he said “That’s it!”
The noproductionproduction production by Philip Metz sublates the classic duality of “Production,“ the making of art, and „Reception“, the incorporation of art. While the active production of art was mainly achieved by the artist, a preferably big and passive audience had to put up with the reception of art. With noproductionproduction the participants have space to “produce” themselves, which, in German, means as much as “to (en)act“. The term “Aktionsrezeption“ (“action reception“) was initially introduced at the end of the 20th century by forschungsgruppe_f to change the grade of involvement as the interaction of active reception forms while negotiating art. The negotiation of relations of productions and particularly the maturity of the involved have kept us busy since even before Marx. The English “Speenhamland Law” from the 17th century was renewed at the end of the 18th century to secure a basic income for the poor. In the 19th century, the Law was considered “counter-productive” and its abolishment marked the frantic beginnings of the industrial capitalism with a policy of the annihilation of the grown social order that Karl Polanyi recognized as “vicious mills“. The “Art Strike” was initiated by Gustav Metzger from 1977 to 1980, saying ”artists who are involved in political campaigns act on two different levels; they use their work to achieve an immediate social changes. They strive towards a change in the structure of the art factory. Both, in the West and in the East, this actually helps to consolidate the existing... People are being preoccupied with several historical, esthetic, and social topics concerning the arts rather than the production of art. Fairer forms of sales, exhibits, and publications will have to be developed. In the 20th century, capitalism weakens the fine arts, creating a deep cut of years without art and providing them with another chance“. Today, 30 years after the courageous and now trailed away call, I recognize in the experience of noproductionproduction the immediate work at the implementation of the prevailing manufacturing structures of art. It is a system that has self-sufficiently resulted from itself from an integrated function and perception which can self-constituted develop further without desperately supporting the ideological construction of reality which is capitalism or any other obsolete relations of production. “The true barrier of capitalist production is capital itself; it is that capital and its self-exploitation seems to be the point of origin and the destination, as the motive and the purpose of production; that production is simply production for capital and not vice versa the mere means of production for a constantly expanding selection of process for the society of producers“ Karl Marx.
The sculptor Constantin Brancusi once said, it were not hard for the arts to make things rather than to create the conditions that would let you want to pass on things. With Philip Metz‘ work “Speisung der 100“, a 100 Euro note is being pulverized by mechanical means to incorporate it in the way spices are added to a meal. Initially, the monetary value is withdrawn from its systemic designation in a commercialization chain upon acceptance and beforehand, during the preparations. The transformation changes the paper’s physical condition while the Euro bill loses its identity. It cannot be conventionally allocated anymore. Figuratively, an artistic surplus is being generated by this form of action that had already been defined as capital by Beuys. With “cash back – das letzte Hemd für die Kunst“ (Cash Back – the Last Shirt for the Arts) the relations of production are turned upside down. In addition to a free ticket visitors receive a “recipient’s remuneration“ valued at the amount of the entrance fee after leaving the exhibition. The recipients‘ attention produces the creative capital. The financial recognition amplifies the quality of the effort of reception.
Huis clos/No Exit (meaning “behind closed doors“) refers to the play by Jean Paul Sartre of the same name; it shows the converse of Ri-ken-no-ken. The introspection of a small group of people becomes a living hell for the individual. Self-referentiality leads to catastrophe as it does in Greek tragedy where Bad turns into even worse. Exclusion and inclusion are dynamic elements in the nature of artistic and social circumstances. The feeling of being excluded or included nourishes our fears and motivates us to break in or break out. “This museum remains closed during the exhibition“ is one of the orders of noproductionproduction. The entrance to the museums will be barricaded. „Il ne faut faire de barrique, il faut faire de barricades“ said Robbespiere. The audience will not see an erratic reception with wine and pretzels. They remain outside or, with noproductionproduction, find themselves willingly in another spatial situation with questionable outcome which can be blocked if necessary. The “Chattering Classes“ of the culture company are at risk of getting locked in. They simply keep revolving around themselves, thus losing in effectiveness and relevance. The distance from the desperate and the rattled, the former audience, is too great to get the appropriate attention. The conflict of advantage versus disadvantage determines manufacturing dynamics. Exclusion techniques and elimination processes prevent a possible connection between advantage and disadvantage in the sense of “disclosing“ and also in the sense of a true participation. They confirm Levi Strauss’ cultural pessimism characterizing our culture as “anthropemein“ from the Greek “emein“ meaning to vomit. Our current social system expectorates the inconvenient; everything that is hard to digest. noproductionproduction is the fascinating rhythm in these state spaces; it is a form of production inviting you to share your own modest means of production with others; an integrated business model not even imposing upon nor taking away “Nothingness”.
A No exercise: stamp once - tan, stamp twice – tanta, stamp three times - tantatan, a slight scuttling – tottottot, stamp silently, stamp quietly, repeated stamping – tantantotanta, step backwards to the left, left step with the left foot, right step with the right foot, rushed step – haraha, stamp four times – tantatantaoN
°for the speech to disappear which creates those bad things/let’s welcome the good things/let’s welcome the good things ... the translation of a song about the relation of productions of the Sudanese Dogon by Michel Leiris.
