For many years Christoph Fink (°1963) has been working on his 'Atlas of Movements'.
“Initially, this concept arose from archiving my travel material: quick sketches of highly dynamic 'still lifes' (the passage through the landscape) in the form of extremely detailed chronogeographic notes, image and sound recordings.
The processing of these data, indications of time and space, mostly resulted in experimental forms of exhibition: spacefilling cartographic and auditory constructions (drawings, diagrams, tables, soundscapes and instrumental compositions ...). In other words: images about the perception of experiences.
From that original structure, that multi-tuned and sustained drone of travel notes (the exploration of the possibilities and limits of the individual human body embedded in the totality of things), other spacetime structures or contexts are linked: philosophical, musical and historical stories contextualize this original structure . The one gives the other meaning.
The poetic effect of the oeuvre can, however, be read more accurately from a musical angle. The work is very similar to the attempts in human history to record musical experiences (movements in time and space) in forms of writing (scores). The musical expansion in my work, initially the subtle reorganization of soundscapes and now extended with the use of a wide range of instruments (electric guitar, violin, percussion, trombone ...) is part of the repositioning of the work as a whole.
The concept of the "Atlas" is today the supporting title of the whole oeuvre and in a sense acts as a platform or observation structure, the foundation for a larger story whose contours are gradually becoming visible: the placement or position of the work within the world, the wild roller coaster of our supposed 'modernity'.
The substantial idea in this oeuvre is the world and the 'reality' as a poetic structure. It is a search for new forms of contextualisation (the bonding / connection of things and events) in which the coherence of the different elements that surround us is questioned.”
Christoph Fink
Persons and places
At this moment he centralizes his activities in Brussels, Belgium. Among many other exhibitions, lectures, performances and publications his work has been on view in the Venice, São Paulo en Istanbul Biennials, Manifesta 4 in Frankfurt and in renowned institutions as Witte de With (Rotterdam), S.M.A.K. (Ghent) and The Drawing Center (New York).
He colaborated with or was invited by: Eva Wittocx, Moritz Kung, Bartomeu Mari, Catherine Dezegher, Chris Dercon, Lino Polegato, Luk Lambrecht, Luk Derycke, Bart de Baere, Jan Hoet, Margot Heller, Johan Pas, Ulrike Lindmayr, Marie- Puck Broodthaers, Rolf Quaghebeur, Ann Demeester, Pier Luigi Tazzi, Paul Lagring, Cathleen Chaffee, Daniel Rosenberg, Felix Villanueva, Hou Hanru, Meike Behm, Hans Theys, Pieter-Paul Mortier, Filip Luyckx, Menno Meeuwis, Stella Lohaus, Iara Boubnova, Nuria Enguita Mayo, Stéphanie Moisdon Trembley, Piet Coessens, Florence Ostende, Eric Mangion, Johana Carrier, Marine Pagès, Francesco Tedeschi, Agatha Jastrzabek, Liesbeth Huybrechts, André-Louis Paré, Marie-Josée Jean, Patrice Loubier, Thérèse Legierse, Christophe Gallois, Marie-Noëlle Farcy, Enrico Lunghi, Elsa Chavinier, Christian Kieckens, Vytautas Michelkevicius, Thomas Thiel
and with artists Joëlle Tuerlinckx, Christoph Aigner, Richard Venlet, Eelco van der Lingen, Ria Pacquée, Guillaume Bijl, Jean-Paul Jaquet, Peter Morrens, Rik De Boe, Anthony Elms, Frederic Geurts, Willem Oorebeek, Gerry Smith, Koen Theys, Frank Theys, Daniel Brefin, Vincent Royer, Henri Jacobs, Gert Verhoeven, Wilfried Huet, Els Dietvorst en Orla Barry and Valentijn Goethals.
The last years he has developed monumental sound compositions (live interventions for electric guitar, percussion, electronics and live soundscape editing) in collaboration with Valentijn Goethals for the theater productions (lecture/opera) by Joëlle Tuerlinckx «THAT’S IT!» which was scheduled at Tate Modern in London; Veemtheater, Amsterdam, Stuk, Leuven and in Kaaitheater, Brussels. The latest and adapted version was developed and finally performed at Dia Beacon, New York in September last year. An extensive set of films will come out later this year.
At this moment (LAST WEEK!!!) a monumental sound composition for 9 speakers and 2 sub woofers “Song for Stuk Inner Court (sound loop of 1 hour and 18 minutes, outside) and the painting ‘Counterpoint’ (+ sound loop of 8 minutes) on the first floor are still on view in Stuk Leuven: artefact-festival.
From April 7 on, a contribution to the show ‘Feast of Fools’ in the Castle of Gaasbeek (near Brussels) will be on view.https://www.kasteelvangaasbeek.be/nl/evenementen/91/feast-of-fools-bruegel-herontdekt
Next, his biggest work to date, a gigantic wall of 52 x 3.6 meters made of ceramic tiles for the new pedestrian tunnel in Aalst, Belgium (a portrait of the Pacific Ocean), will be inaugurated. The conclusion of a two-year production process in Portugal (Viuva Lamego, Sintra).
An extensive essay on his work will be published this autumn.
Website: www.christophfinkworks.org (under construction)