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| Barbara Bauer |
34.Do you have (or ever had) an uncommon object in your possession?
Growing up in a rural area also means that property is given on to futures generation. One object that I found the most astonishing are tedders, that my grandfather has used when working on the fields. Even if this object seems just like two wheels that stick together, the underlying story of the object and its use are directly related to my family’s history.
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| Barbara Bauer |
33.Do you have an object, which puts you under a state of stress, shame or pressure?
It is not the object itself that is creating stress, but the form of the packaging. Pills, that are sold in a metal and plastic packaging so that each day one single on should be used, creates the feeling of stress and pressure: following the time passing by, seeing the emptying of the pack and still fearing to forget one. The object becomes the governor of the everyday life, that has to be in rhythm with taking one pill each day.
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| Barbara Bauer |
31.Any thing that encouraged or enabled you to stay put in a certain state of mind? Something that proved to be an anchor, a reminder, a carrier, or a barrier?
Heritage is always related to a personal relationship with a former generation. This link to the past can be a barrier to the own fulfillment of dreams, but remains essentially a reminder of values and thoughts of people before us. The link with jewelry that has been passed on for generations created a link with family members that I never had the chance to meet, but still remain present in the object that has been passed on to me.
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| Barbara Bauer |
30.Something, which is a commodity by every definition of the word, but you approach or understand it otherwise?
Today, cloth has become one of the most important commodities – not only for keeping warm or protecting from the weather or other environmental dangers. It is a statement and therefor a way to interpret the character of the person wearing it. Cloth hanging down from a metal bar at a market place reminds me of a carcass, as if all live has been sought out. The link between skin and lifeless fabric is evident.
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| Barbara Bauer |
28.An object, which in your opinion should never have existed in the first place?
The most destructive objects for this planet in the long term are plastic bags, in particular for the material they are made of. The commodity of using these object for carrying things is no excuse for denying the consequences. The intertwining of plastic in nature today should stop us from continuing using this material so lavishly.
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| Barbara Bauer |
26.An object that you always essentially possessed but never bought yourself even once?
The way we possess things, is often related to early childhood experiences. My grandmother used to give us handmade socks, a common Christmas gift in the rural area, where I grew up. Even if similar socks must exist in shops nowadays, I never found them neither was I even looking for them. This type of socks is so related to my upbringing that I cannot imagine it to be bought. The feeling of keeping warm exceeds the sensation and becomes a feeling of heritage and transmission.
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| Barbara Bauer |
25.Any object that you instantly need to replace with a similar one (a copy or a replica) as soon as it disappears from your reality (through expiry, loss or use)?
Instead of using our voice, another important way of expressing oneself is by writing or drawing. Therefore, the most important object that I always need to possess is a pencil. For me it is the synonym of free expression and possibility of sharing thoughts that sometimes are to vague to be described by spoken words.
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| Barbara Bauer |
24.Any object, whose underlining/governing systems you always wanted or tried to replicate?
A rope is one of the oldest and most simplest object that man created. Several fibers are twirled together to create a stronger string. Then once again one string is combined with several others to create an even more powerful object. Yet, even if this operation can be repeated endlessly, the flexibility of it decreases step by step. An object that is flexible but strong, easy to cut and still holding things together is an object that I interpreted in ceramics, a material that remains in a certain form once fired.
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| Barbara Bauer |
19.Are there any things that instill instant fear in you?
The power of a chain saw is directly in relation with the succession of little sharp metal objects which will cut the surface of wood. These esthetic forms taken on their own, cannot create the danger that is related to the machine. Only the quantity of similar forms and the acceleration when switched on, create this powerful and perilous object.
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| Barbara Bauer |
16.Did you ever encounter an object that proved to be the only barrier between you and death? Or between your current existence and some other level of existence?
Even though I have never experienced any situations that put me close to death, the object that fascinated me the most by its power to create a new atmosphere, are matches. Just by an abrupt movement on a surface, it is possible to create fire. This element is on the one hand side a destructor of life, and still so beautiful that watching flames for some time can create the feeling of entering another level of existence.
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| Barbara Bauer |
15.Do you have a disobedient object in your environment?
Many objects seem disobedient when the human hand is unable to transmit the ideas and thoughts of the mind. Nonetheless, some objects provide time for struggle more than once. The object that put me under the most of stress is clearly a stapler, that does not fix several sheets together as I wish it would.
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| Barbara Bauer |
14.A thing whose sole meaning comes from its unique material, which is one of its kind whose traits and attributes can not be reproduced by an alternate material.
Candles are made out of wax, a material that melts when heated. Even if other materials possess the same properties, the only way we imagine candles is by the texture of wax. The process of fire warming the material, melting it and burning it, is inseparably related to the object itself.
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| Barbara Bauer |
12.If you were to start a personal museum or collection, what would it contain?
The relationship between nature and human creation is one inspiration for me and I seek to collect forms that translate this link. A snail shell is an organic form that grew and was part of an animal, until it becomes an object of its own right. Therefore, this object would be the first and most essential part for my personal collection.
