Anlauttabelle für Einwanderer (Work in progress)
The work is based on Jürgen Reichen’s Anlauttabelle — a table created to aid children learning the sound of the alphabet. While this phonetic table is largely harmless with child-friendly words (think A for apple, B for banana), the letter Ü is represented by an image of the traffic sign ‚Überholverbot‘ (no overtaking). The absurd presence of this bureaucratic word in a children’s learning tool (even children can’t escape german rules and bureaucracy) compelled the artist to create a work based entirely on bureaucracy in the context of immigration.
The work uses terms mapping the artists own process of navigating German bureaucracy — words like F for Fiktionsbescheinigung (fictive certificate). It also continues the function of the table as a didactic / phonetic tool, in this case for immigrants/migrants, who are made to jump through hoops of language and bureaucracy. The work is intended as a large scale embroidered tapestry reminiscent of a wall hanging ABC or a family tree, something one pores over to learn well. The choice of embroidery echoes the painstaking laborious investment of time expected from immigrants/migrants.
Wandteppich, 163 × 271 Zentimeter, 2022 — 24