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KUNST KOMMT VON KURR

Grenzgänger am Checkpoint Charlie

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The Border Liner Project
1992-1999
different sites
www.a-site.org
Memorial for the European Community,
placed on the top platform of the missing
tower of Strasburg cathedral
A travelling frontier


A border-guard’s lodge, painted in the national European colours, blue and yellow, symbolizes the European frontier. This lodge is travelling through Europe. The guard himself has been dismissed and instead been replaced by a commemorative plaque, which can be seen inside. Made of gold-plated marble, it displays an inscription, carved in the 12 current EC-languages: "More crossing the frontiers"

FLERE GRÆNSEGANGERE
MEHR GRENZGÄNGER
MORE CROSSING THE FRONTIERS
ENEMMÄN RAJANYLITTÄJIÄ
ENCORE PLUS DE FRONTALIERS
KOSMOS SYNORA
MEER GRENSGANGERS
PIÙ FRONTALIERI
FLERE OVERSKRIDER GRENSELAND
MAIS A PASSAR FRONTEIRAS
MER GRÄNSGÅNGERE
MÁS RELACIONES INTERFRONTERIZAS
Parlament
A permanent companion to the "cross-border commuter’s lodge" is the artist Stephan Kurr. He makes speeches and gives talks, he does PR-work using flyers, information desks, writes letters to politicians, and searches for promoters. Working as a sort of NGO, he executes his project. Final station of his voyage is to be the platform of the missing southern tower of the Strasbourg Cathedral. There he wants to built up the "cross-border commuter’s lodge" for the last time.

With the presence of the plaque, Stephan Kurr subverts the meaning the guard’s lodge, a symbol of demarcation, and presents an appeal for open frontiers. More than referring only to borders between countries, it appeals to the people themselves, to overcome their own inhibitions. By placing the guard’s lodge on top of the Strasbourg Cathedral it reflects and places emphasis on the idea of the extension of the "Edifice Europe", which shouldn’t be merely a political or economical aim, but rather an essential human quality: the courage to approach the unknown and the strange.
Werkgespräche Stations of the "border-crossing-tour" (exhibitions and conferences):

Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin (D) 4/97
Gallery "La Station", Nice (F) 4/97
Hôtel des Régions, Limoges (F) 5/97
"Festival de Teatro en la Calle de Alcorcón", Madrid (E) 9/97
Maison de la Culture d’Amiens (F) 9/97
"Les Centres des Marges", CRAC Alsace, Altkirch (F) 9/97
CRÉDAC d’Ivry, Paris (F) 11/97
Estación del Norte, Valencia (E) 3/98
Estación del Ferrocarril, Alicante (E) 4/98
Ökumenische Kirchentage, Fürth (D) 7/98
"Når det fremmede foruroliger", Sønderjylands Kunstmuseum, Tønder (DK) 9/98
Spazio Oreste, 48. Biennale di Venezia (I) 10/99


Information desks in Kassel during documenta X and during "Skulptur, Projekte" in Münster 7-8/97 Documentation exhibited at "Zebra Crossing", Unione Culturale Franco Antonicelli, Torino (I) 6/98

Talk shows, TV and radio reports:
- FF Franken Fernsehen, Kulturtage Erlangen `97
- Valencia TV, Valencia 3/98
- Canal 9, Valencia 3/98
- Radio National de España
Venedig Auferstehungskirche Fürth
The project has been supported and promoted by Bündnis’90 / die Grünen, Conselleria de Cultura de Valencia, RENFE, Transworld Communication, Office for International Relationships of the City of Nürnberg and the Ministry of Cultural Affairs of Bavaria.

Publications including the project:
- Megalomania - Art-Projects For Europe, Lindinger & Schmidt, Regensburg, 1993 (ISBN 3-929970-03-1) - Public Art, European Experiences and Projects, (English and Italian) by Alessandra Pioselli, pg. 201ff, in "Oreste alla Biennale", edited by Giancarlo Norese, Edizioni Charta, Milan, 2000 ( ISBN 88-8158-279-1) - Arte e pubblicità, by Elio Grazioli, edizioni Bruno Mondadori, Milan, 2001 (ISBN 88-424-9706-1)

After certain political changes in the European and in the French Parliament in 1998, there was no more political will to realize the project and build up the lodge at Strasbourg’s cathedral. Again political reasons caused the cutting of his grant by the Bavarian Ministry of Science and Culture and caused huge financial trouble of the artist, and the end of the project.
El País, Valencia 1998
Images:
Checkpoint Charlie, Berlin, Germany 1997
Hôtel Régional du Limousin, Limoges, France 1997
Service for border liner with referent Dr. Ludwig Markert, day of ecumenism, Fürth, Germany 1997
Symposium "Au Centres du Marge", CRAC Alsace, France 1997
"El País", Valencia, Spain 1998
Spacio Oreste, 48. Biennale, Venice, Italy 1999
48. Biennale, Venice, Italy 1999

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