ARS IGNIS – DIE POESIE DER ZERSTÖRUNG - VERNISSAGE

Art installation and author project to mark the 20th anniversary of the Anna Amalia Library fire with readings by Steve Karier

To mark the 20th anniversary of the fire at the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek, Spanish artist Anna Talens has devised a two-part site-specific intervention as a poetic exploration of the creative energy of fire. Her work ‘Ars Ignis’ makes use of remnants of books that were damaged beyond restoration. The artist works with fragments of individual sheets and rough particles of ash. The interventions are to be found in two locations – in the historic Rococo Hall and in the Herzogin Anna Amalia Bibliothek’s modern Study Centre. The installation ‘Der schwarze Vulkan’ (The Black Volcano) in the Rococo Hall that was affected by the fire is made up of ash particles from burnt books. The work reveals different layers of time – Anna Amalia and Goethe’s journeys to Italy, combined with their fascination with forces of nature meet the location’s recent history – the library fire in 2004. Its companion piece ‘Das weiße Archiv’ (The White Archive) is situated in the library’s modern Study Centre. Here viewers can discover not only the beauty of the fragments of ash books that have been preserved, but also the creative process through which new material has been produced from fragments that were believed lost. International authors have written new texts inspired by motifs from the ash books. The texts will be read by Luxembourg actor Steve Karier at the opening on August 22 and daily in the library from September 2nd to 5th, as well as 7th.

Authors involved:
Daniela Danz (*1976; Deutschland); Pablo Fidalgo (*1984; Spanien); Sonia Gentili (*1970; Italien); Volha Hapeyeva (*1982; Belarus); Ramona de Jesús (*1990; Kolumbien); Dilber Macit (*1996; Türkei); Javier Maderuelo (*1950; Spanien); Alberto Manguel (*1948; Kanada/Argentinien); Stefan Petermann (*1978; Deutschland); María Sanchez (*1989; Spanien)