FF – LIVE AT THE FRIDERICIANUM

KARL HOLMQVIST: “#USETHESTAIRS… “

Parallel to the realization of the intervention Existential Staircase/Existentielles Treppenhaus in the central stairwell of the Fridericianum, Karl Holmqvist produced the short film #USETHESTAIRS…. The fast-paced, rhythmic 48-second clip shows different found images of staircases to which the Berlin-based artist has added the W-questions related to the basic circumstances of existence: “WER!!?,” “WANN!!?,” “WAS!!?,” “WO!!?,” “WARUM!!?” or “WHO!!?,” “WHEN!!?,” “WHAT!!?,” “WHERE!!?,” “WHY!!?”. The sequence is accompanied by the hard, repetitive sounds of a person climbing up and down the stairs, which suggest not only a sense of urgency but also the physical strain and the anxiety of pursuing one’s life goals.