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Angela Dorrer
ON FAMILYSCULPTURE
A while ago, I went to Neunburg vor dem Walde in the Bavarian Forest near the Czech border, the place from which part of my ancestors allegedly hail from. There I found the sign, the only one, sunk into the castle mount, on which "In memory of Georg Dorrer, the painter, musician and poet, who died in 1954 with great suffering" is engraved. I asked myself how it is when the branches of a family tree diverge, when some members leave the country and others remain behind. How do related life paths develop under completely different conditions?
Especially recently, in a time in which over the course of a life one can effortlessly belong to many communities, the family becomes interesting as the first and insolubly original form of community and network. Family researchers speak of the soul of a family that continues over generations.
"I had these pants sewn in 1994, during my second longer period in West Africa, in Bobo Dioulasso, a city in Burkina Faso. The fabric is of course batiked by hand. This city is famous for its balaphone music: a balaphone is a wooden xylophone that is accompanied by drums at funerals, weddings or simply in bars (straw roofs and wooden bench on clay floors), where the local house beer is tapped. Wearing these pants, I spent many hours at such events, or sat down to practice. (1)
When one enters one's family name, as long as it is not too common, into a search engine, one gets an idea of where the people of one's tribe have dispersed. On the Ellis Island website ((http://www.ellisisland.org) one can find out in which years and on which ship landed in New York. I searched all the people with my last name, contacted altogether about 300 Dorrers who were internationally registered and asked them to send me a piece of clothing. I now have more than 80 pieces of clothing from Japan, Australia, France, Germany, Austria and other countries in my possession. I was astonished at the reactions and the fact that I got so many e-mails, letters and clothing from the whole world from people I didn't know. The possibility of being connected via bloodlines creates trust.
"This blouse was the first piece of clothing I bought after my husband's death." (2)
I put a familysculpture forum on the Internet for all people named Dorrer (http://familysculpture.de). Within a short time, Dorrers from all over the world wrote, made contact with each other, told their stories and searched for common ancestors. The communication took place in two languages. There was a translator and I took on the function of a moderator.
Next I invited all the Dorrers to Munich into the familysculpture lounge for the first family reunion. Around 18 Dorrers from different branches of the family and from different countries who'd never met each other came and met in the Dorrer archive. Other Dorrers joined virtually via webcam. Since then I have receive an increasing number of calls from Dorrers who are passing through and still want to participate in the familysculpture or simply want to know more about me and the Dorrers.
In the project I take the role of a "Tribal Interface" where it not entirely clear to me whether the Dorrers represent an extension of me or whether I am an extension of their identities. My function is instigation and direction, as I also become sometimes more, sometimes less a part of the produced image.
"This cap belongs to Andrew, our youngest. He always covered his face with it when we were on the snowmobile. He had it for many years and got it from his older brother Erik." (3)
Americans have a tradition of "clothes swapping": One meets with friends and exchanges garments that one no longer wears. Here, the story of each garment that's pulled out of the pile and tried on is told. Where one got the garment, the fabric's workmanship or what one liked about it transport a great deal about the identity of the owner. Fabric is the body's wrapping, a second skin. It is not unusual that garments take on the shape of the wearer's body after a while. One can imagine that a favorite, often-worn garment "loads up" with the owner's personality.
"I was happy to have found this T-shirt, because it shows exactly where I stood when I left home. I was part of the "anti war" movement… protested against a military industry complex, that was my thing back then… at this I had this T-shirt printed… all in all, this T-shirt is a witness to my past, and I really liked it."(4)
I installed the Dorrers' clothing with videos, photos and letters in a situation similar to an altar. The various traditions of honoring one's ancestors served as an inspiration. In many rural areas, even a few in the Alpine regions, so-called ancestral altars still exist. Here is where respect was paid to the forefathers. In many families in Mongolia, there are altars with ancestral dolls, which are dribbled with vodka before the celebration begins. Voodoo rituals in Haiti conjure up ancestors - which are collectively drawn and asked for advice with photos, objects and gifts.
I determined that all clothing that the Dorrers sent to me represented very specific phases of life that are exemplary, that are transferable to most people's lives. For example, sensations connected to childhood, youth, love, friends, mourning and professional success.
"A favorite piece from my 'freak phase.” (5)
I began wearing the Dorrer clothing myself. Since I knew the stories, I became part of the larger entire context of the network. Like with the exchange messages from the cookie boxes, I explored the possibilities of activating the memory banks of a number or a group of people. It isn't a matter of reconstructing my family genealogy, but rather of culling samples from my family and thereby making a statement on the human condition.
"Douglas was recently in the Air Force Reserve Command and before that, in active duty for many years. I didn't have a son he could give his uniform jacket to, so he decided to donate it to the familysculpture, decorated with the awards got at the military. His rank was "Technical Sergeant" what is recognizable on the stripes in the arms. He thinks that the jacket will receive a place of honor in the history of the Dorrers. It will be a wonderful story to tell." (6)
I discovered a Guesthouse Dorrer in the Graz telephone book and produced a familysculpture karaoke, an installation and a performance there: All Dorrer clothing was exhibited with its stories in the idyllic guesthouse. Everyone who wanted to could become a model with a short moment and exhibit pieces from the Dorrer collection. Dorrers from Germany and Austria arrived. The Dorrer service staff had created a three-course "Dorrer Menu" for the evening and had the miniature version of the restaurant built from Sachertorte and marzipan for dessert. The models all received free drinks. A jury chose a Miss and Mister Dorrer, who won a meal and a night in the Dorrer guesthouse.
By wearing the clothing, an imaginary network was created with the participants who were not present. A very unique picture emerged that included the secondary and surface levels equally and that connected the fashion show with personal family history. Over the course of the night, the guesthouse became a stage on which the Dorrer wait staff, the other Dorrers and the regular guests became figures on the stage of an open family reunion.
"I got this shirt from my parents when they went with me to Disneyland for the first time. I saved it because it reminded me of a happy time in my childhood. I wore it until it didn't fit anymore, but I just never gave it away. I have often been to Disneyland since then, but I think for a child, the first visit is the most exciting. It reminds me of the nice time my brothers and sister had when we were still children." (7)
Notes:
(1) Crystov Dorrer, Berlin, Germany, on his "Green-blue striped batik pants"
(2) Alice Dorrer, Will, Switzerland, on her "Pink Blouse"
(3) Sue Dorrer, Fort Edward, New York, USA, on "Andrew Dorrer's Red Cap"
(4) Nick Dorrer, Kingswood, Australia, on his "Hand-Printed T-shirt"
(5) Eveline Stingel, born Dorrer, Stettfurt, Switzerland, on the "Dress with a Golden Yoke"
(6) Susi Dorrer, Clarksburg, West Virginia, USA on the "Douglas Raymond Dorrer from the USA's military jacket"
(7) Gregory Brian Dorrer from the USA on his "Disneyland sweatshirt"
from: "Sammeln (Reihe: Museum zum Quadrat 18), 151 p. ,
EUR 15,-, Verlag Turia + Kant, Hg: Karl Stocker / Wolfgang Muchitsch, Joanneum Graz / Austria, 2006
ISBN 3-85132-467-6
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