publication
March 2020
Concept & Pictures by Malte Sänger
Graphic design & Text by Veerle Vervliet
118x175mm / 59 pages
English
March 2020
Concept & Pictures by Malte Sänger
Graphic design & Text by Veerle Vervliet
118x175mm / 59 pages
English
quarantine canteen
The book shows chronologically fourteen pinhole pictures — made during the first lockdown — made out of the same tin Malte Sänger ate. This camera obscura photoseries gives a peak into the indoor life of the artist. The pictures are accompanied with a short story “The man from number 36”, written by Veerle Vervliet, also without leaving her room.
The final result is a leporello, which shows on one side the analogue pictures with the text; and on the other side the emptied tins, portrayed as silent observers of an still life.
excerpt: “The man from number 36”
I’m tired of this quarantine, or rather I’ve gotten so tired of myself in this quarantine. Me, walled-in between these four walls, I’ve had enough. I decide not to be myself any longer; I’ll crawl out of my skin and as from today I am the man from number 36. Almost four weeks now I’ve been seeing the man from number 36 pop in and out of his apartment several times a day. The view from my window just seems to frame his daily outings perfectly. With regular intervals, he comes outside, on his socks, and smokes a cigarette. I took over his identity when I finally met him in real in the street yesterday. He didn’t recognize me. He looked straight through me like I wasn’t there at all. Maybe I really wasn’t there any longer. Maybe I had already become this weak shadow of his movements. From my writing desk, I can follow him perfectly and copy him. I mirror him in such a way that he, like an ignorant God, gives me the structure I need. Our outfits already match; black t-shirt, black pants. I also saw in a glance that he was carrying a plastic bag with two boxes of takeaway Chinese food. Perfect. If he’s two, so am I. And Asian food, I think that’s a great idea for our dinner.
The book shows chronologically fourteen pinhole pictures — made during the first lockdown — made out of the same tin Malte Sänger ate. This camera obscura photoseries gives a peak into the indoor life of the artist. The pictures are accompanied with a short story “The man from number 36”, written by Veerle Vervliet, also without leaving her room.
The final result is a leporello, which shows on one side the analogue pictures with the text; and on the other side the emptied tins, portrayed as silent observers of an still life.
excerpt: “The man from number 36”
I’m tired of this quarantine, or rather I’ve gotten so tired of myself in this quarantine. Me, walled-in between these four walls, I’ve had enough. I decide not to be myself any longer; I’ll crawl out of my skin and as from today I am the man from number 36. Almost four weeks now I’ve been seeing the man from number 36 pop in and out of his apartment several times a day. The view from my window just seems to frame his daily outings perfectly. With regular intervals, he comes outside, on his socks, and smokes a cigarette. I took over his identity when I finally met him in real in the street yesterday. He didn’t recognize me. He looked straight through me like I wasn’t there at all. Maybe I really wasn’t there any longer. Maybe I had already become this weak shadow of his movements. From my writing desk, I can follow him perfectly and copy him. I mirror him in such a way that he, like an ignorant God, gives me the structure I need. Our outfits already match; black t-shirt, black pants. I also saw in a glance that he was carrying a plastic bag with two boxes of takeaway Chinese food. Perfect. If he’s two, so am I. And Asian food, I think that’s a great idea for our dinner.