(VHS, Betacam, 15 min) 2002
The Dr. Dormagen-Guffanti Foundation in Cologne, founded by Dr. Dormagen in the 19th century, houses different social services in a park-like setting, including a municipal home for the handicapped, a hospice and the Emmaus-Gemeinschaft (Emmaus Society), which share the generous grounds on the outskirts of Cologne. An annually announced scholarship, which invites fine artists to participate in a six-month’s working stay in residence, is a luxury that the foundation’s advisory board gladly affords. Dr. Dormagen himself was convinced of the stimulating influence and possible healing qualities of art, and he pursued a headstrong form of “art therapy.” From time to time he ordered his patients to sit regularly in front of paintings that were installed especially for this purpose. In the following interview, the Berlin artist Judith Siegmund (the scholarship recipient in 2002) reports about her work with the residents on location. The special “production conditions,” as well as her reflections on her own position as a scholarship holder and artist, played an important role in the considerations that went into the organization of her stay in Cologne.
Andrea Knobloch (infection manifesto)
