Kubach-Wilmsen

Variations on a Theme, Claire Labye, Bruxelles, June 19th, 2007

Since 1976, the Kubach-Wilmsens have developed a large number of conceptual and formal variations with the “Stone Book” series. The “Booktower” and “Ikarus” are two antithetical ways of representing the same motif. The first one, because of its structure, could be contemplated as an architectural piece; the second one tends towards a purely formal research that induces abstraction. The strength of the material is the constant throughout their work. The artists share a love of stone. Through the “Stone Book” pattern they try to reveal the history of the earth and its evolution contained in the material and to make it sensitive to the spectator.

The “Booktower” is the first piece that gathers stones of various origins in one unit. The Kubach-Wilmsens assembled their first towers in the 1990s. They stem from two preliminary works: The “Stone Library-Hommage a Dejaiffe” in 1983 – 316 books exposed side by side on library racks in Bibliotheque Nationale de France – and the “Storia della Terra” in 1992 in Santo Stefano Rotando al Celio in Roma, consisting of 100 books presented in several piles. The coexistence of tens of volumes of stone from all over the world introduces the idea of the universal, as each of them refers to a unique site on the globe connected to a specific cultural background. Each stone block is the depository of its inheritance. The stones’ color, texture, and structure impose a sequence to the artists according to their compatibility when placed side by side. Intuition has defeated hierarchy. The material is like a third member of the team; it takes on a role in the process. The stones coming from the five continents are brought together to resonate in a new way.

The different volumes piled up one on top of the other form an axial column representing universal knowledge. The book placed on top virtually compresses the ones underneath that form a kind of pedestal as they develop independently. The finely polished back contrast with the wavy rough pages. The pages duplicate the stratification of the tower and recall the earth’s inner structure. Each stone speaks its own truth. We have to decipher and interpret it. Each back announces the content of the volume but still we don’t have the key; it is like a screen on which we have to project our own imagination.

In the work “Ikarus” the fascination with finely polished stone is more evident; it comes close to becoming a subject in its own right. The Kubach-Wilmsens concentrate on unveiling the material’s structure. The sketched pages disappear under the expanding polished cover. The stone’s potential is revealed. The cover is an access to the depth. The stone’s characteristics form an inner landscape; the artists make it readable.

The title “Ikarus” refers to the Greek mythical character and draws a parallel between his fall and the fall of meteorites. In 1993, in search of new kinds of stone, the artists examined the fascinating meteorites owned by the Mainz University. Within the “Stone Book” theme containing ageless information, the “Booktower” represents universality and the “Ikarus” concept introduces the idea of circulation and incessant recycling. The Kubach-Wilmsens consider stone as a universal material which is not specific to earth but exists everywhere. They seek it out and restore pieces of the earth’s history closely linked to that of the universe. Besides the inner landscape that the artists make readable, the color structure is visually similar to a remote nebula. The “Ikarus” books make the past present and the infinitely distant close. They encompass all the spatial and temporal information that lies silent and condensed, waiting to be revealed.

These books “fallen from the universe” owe their shape to the cover’s distortion, as do most of the “stone Books.” The idea of falling and the multiple deformations it causes is a way to gain formal liberty and to free one’s self from mimesis. The waves of the overturned books take the shape of a mountain. According to Simone Philippi, the books’ pages are reminiscent of spread wings. Sometimes it is impossible to tell if they fell of if they are taking flight. The Kubach-Wilmsens have the gift of making a static material come alive. The “Ikarus” turns into an animal, some unknown species from the deep dark ocean or a remote planet. The shape is clearly an open door to the imaginary.

The “Stone Book” motif has reached an extreme form that only the title still defines. IT is a pretext to exploit the material with supple fluidity. The curves invite the spectator to touch it thus making the experience tactile. The “Ikarus” is a very sensitive work full of poetry. The “Booktower” is more literal; it’s a demonstration that includes the artists’ thoughts and the formal possibilities of the “Stone Book” motif. The pile is erected as a monument that favors a symbolic reading. As it was the case in their earlier work, they develop an archaic relationship to the material, both in a spiritual and physical sense. The unalterable and universal quality of the stone creates a connection through time and space, and the “stone book” motif represents the permanence of human ideas.