Performance intervention as part of Vogelfrei, 7th Biennale Darmstadt, Germany. Curator: Ute Ritschel
27 October - 11 November 2007

Also see
Extreme Ironing Brighton (2008),
The Contribution of Leaf Matter to the Mass of the Universe (2008)

'Extreme Ironing' is a site-specific performance conceived for Vogelfrei, the 7th Biennale in Darmstadt, which takes place in streets and gardens of the city.

The work takes its title from a new sport, whereby people undertake to iron clothes in adventurous locations.

This project is however not concerned with spectacle or bravery, but investigates domestic ritual. Autumn leaves are gathered and ironed before being returned to the garden where they came from.

For the intervention a small temporary greenhouse was installed in a large private garden, housing the artist and the ironing board as well as allowing members of the public to watch and discuss the work.

The intervention purposefully collides the everyday and the absurd.

The ironing of leaves is a loving gesture repeated endlessly, and through the repetition the work becomes a game that defies traditional economic logic.

Within the inevitability of the seasonal decay the work creates a playful interlude.

Vogelfrei has become an important art event of the Rhein-Main region since its conception in 1995, with the participation of rising numbers of international artists, this year with 46 artists from eight countries (Argentina, Germany, Finland, Great Britain, Israel, Canada, Netherlands and USA).

Performer: Claudia Kappenberg

Citations

"The artist from London unfolds a new chapter in the experimental art exhibition of Darmstadt, with leaves; a verbal paradox is followed by an actual activity and visitors observe the poetic engagement with a mixture of fascination and bemusement. (…) An apparently useless activity becomes a playground for philosophical associations, while its images would have delighted a playwright like Samuel Beckett. "
(Hensel, Bert, Darmstädter Echo, 3/11/2007 [translated from German])