„Nummer Negen: The Day I didn’t Turn With The World“ - Guido van der Werve

The programme at the Garage, which – inspired by Friedensreich Hundertwasser – devotes itself to current ecological issues and the relationship between man and nature, kicks off with a screening of the film "Nummer Negen: The Day I Didn’t Turn With The World" by the Dutch artist Guido van der Werve, born in 1977.

 Guido van der Werve set himself the task of turning once around his own axis within 24 hours without interruption – at the geographic North Pole, the world’s pivot point. For one whole day, he did not turn with the world. By moving against the rotation of the earth, the artist suspends an absolute earthly condition for one day, removing himself from the rotation cycle. His movement equals standstill.

The scene thus conceived is painfully puristic: the artist, protagonist of this film, stands alone in an expansive snowy landscape, where the cold is merciless and human existence only possible within limits.

The artist as a daring hero in an extreme situation: his gaze turned constantly upon his own shadow in self-reflection, Guido van der Werve resists the icy coldness of his surroundings and confronts his body and his ego with the world. The extraordinary physical endurance Guido van der Werve proves here is a recurring essential element of his artistic working method, serving his experience of the world and himself.

The comparative analysis of one’s own existence in relation to the world observed here is staged by van der Werve with considerable pathos. The striking effect of this act is reinforced by the accompanying piano solo, composed and recorded by the artist himself.

Curator: Verena Kaspar-Eisert