Sandra Meisel. Non Sequitur

About

meisel’s works depict timeless objects and landscapes detached from their context, surreal and oniric sceneries that remind of a dystopian science fiction movie.

the motifs of her photographic works man kann sich die welt ansehen i-ii, vulcano sand collages i-vi and vulcano smoke i-iii seem disturbingly close yet far away. the latter two series are enlarged pinhole camera prints that were modified with grated volcanic rock – forms and perspectives were shattered and recomposed, creating a constantly threatening but yet fascinating atmosphere.

setz’ novel was indeed the initial spark for meisel’s work: the novel’s protagonist has a preference for the so-called “nonseq”- communication in which dialogues are based on free and non-subsequent associations. meisel’s works exposed in non sequitur can well be read as a chain of associations: connections may not be visible at first glance but are nevertheless present and harmonic – a poetic series of experiences, states of mind and their symbols that devise a hermetic task possibly guiduing into the unconscious.

meisel’s associative way of proceeding reminds of the écriture automatique of the zurich dadaists and surrealists. andré breton described this method as “a monologue poured out as rapidly as possible, over which the subject's critical faculty has no control - the subject himself throwing reticence to the winds — and which as much as possible represents spoken thought.“ in this way, meisel’s “nonseq”- process is a way to liberation: only through detachment from any reference in reality, the invention of a new world is possible; questions of meaning do not matter here.

the creation process of several of meisel’s works also reflect her way of proceeding: after deciding the external conditions and set into a receptive state of mind the artist allows herself a certain loss of control over specific situations and paves the way for the unconscious to influence in process and result of the artistic work.

created in the process and with a special connectedness between each other, meisel’s works go beyond conscious perception and materiality. her installative parcour offers endless interpretative possibilities and, in addition to its hermeneutic potential, surprises with an extraordinarily balanced but yet thrilling aesthetic.

miriam schwarz