In Then Out 2024

Ukraine war, Middle East conflict, energy crisis, pandemic, climate change - the times seem bleak. The German Language Society has named "Krisenmodus" [crisis mode] as the word of the year 2023. The state of emergency has become a permanent state. In view of the many negative headlines, we feel overwhelmed, annoyance and news fatigue are on the rise.

How can the collective feeling of being overwhelmed become visible? We are familiar with the proverbial "lump in the throat" when we lose our voice due to fear and worry. We are "stuck" when we don't understand something. And we speak of a "Gordian knot" when a problem seems unsolvable. The knot is a visual metaphor for the complex, condensed problems of our time.

This metaphor is the basic idea for this year's adaptation of "In Then Out". Visitors are greeted by an oversized knot made of plastic tubing that penetrates the existing installation. The organic, disordered shape of the knot is in a formal tension with the surrounding orthogonals. 

The installation can be experienced not only visually and haptically, but also audibly. Short audio excerpts from news broadcasts since the start of the pandemic in 2020 can be heard. The audio tracks overlap and condense into an abstract tangle of news. The ends of the tubes can be used by visitors like ear trumpets. The oppressive feeling of being overwhelmed and powerless can thus be experienced through several senses. We feel exhausted. But how can we lighten the load? Let's listen and talk to each other.