Editorial / Linda Klösel / Version 4

Accumulated clusters of similar properties and characteristics could possibly describe something like a concept. But what do Soldiers of Love, digital disobedience in architecture, illusionistic pictorial space, and the space of image perception, the attempt to engage performatively with the still-powerful effects of colonization, Zappa, and Varèse have in common? Like in a game, the individual cards lie open next to each other, occasionally forming relationships. Taken as a whole, the individual observations and discussions form a kind of cloud, the common denominator of which is perhaps the attempt to redefine perspectives and develop strategies for or ways out. Love takes on a political agenda, architecture resists the automation of intuition, those seemingly lost in history are given a voice, and painting is granted the possibility of „forming its own image of the world“—or simply put: „Those in distress develop the power to believe in fairy tales.“ And Zappa? 

Alexander Kluge reminds us that „the real conditions have a grammar—there is the moment, but within this moment, there is also the future, hope, and the past. Without these, there would be no moment at all. Then comes the subjunctive, the potential form. In ancient Greece, we even had the optative, the form of wishes (…) And this world of wishes is immensely powerful. The anti-realism of feelings and emotions stands against the power of facts (…).“And his plea: „Liberate the facts from human indifference!“ If he is right, then everything is connected, and if we succeed in correcting seemingly inevitable set points, the flow of events can be steered in directions that are still unimaginable today.

VERSION04 is not dedicated to a clearly defined theme. This may be due to the confusions of the present or simply to the fact that, during the development of this edition, new aspects continuously emerged. At a workshop by the Army of Love in Utrecht, we gained deep insights into the many facets of love when considering its potential for social practice. Zack Saunders spoke with François Roche, the founder of New-Territories, about an architecture that understands itself as a hybrid of nature and civilization, capable of developing strategies of resistance. Alexander Kluge gifted us excerpts from an installation designed for five projections. Belinda Kazeem-Kamiński presents Unearthing. In Conversation, —a performance and video—which she has prepared for this publication in both text and image. During a visit to Berlin, we had the opportunity to meet Hugues Mousseau, who granted us insight into his extensive record collection. Martin Gastl assisted us in transcribing his reflections. And last but not least, Salvatore Viviano conducts an interview with himself, in which he reflects on his experiences as both a curator and artist with the One Work Gallery project and describes the Vienna art scene. This issue’s cover is by Stefan Sandner. 

Simultaneously with the magazine, we are releasing a new DVD edition featuring contributions from Albers (Ludwig Gerstacker, Hanno Millesi, Stefan Sandner, Christian Wallner featuring Christian Schwarzwald), Martin Brandlmayr, Didi Bruckmayr, G.rizo, and Christina Chra Nemetz.