Who is the owner of silence? 30 seconds with Petra Koehle

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Galerie De Roussan @ OFFicielle Stand : A09

 

Petra Koehle is one half of an artistic duo, along with Nicolas Vermot-Petit-Outhenin, who have been working together for 12 years.

H A P P E N I N G : Where do you live?

Petra Koehle: Zürich

H: Tell us about your work at OFFiciele.

PK: An attempt to differentiate discourse.

H: Do you listen to music when you’re working?

PK: Nicolas and I are really different. He likes to work with music, but I can’t. If I listen to music while I’m working, I have to think to another rhythm, a rhythm that’s not my own. So the question is really, which one of us is the owner of silence. Because with sound, you are occupying territory, but with silence you are too.

H: Is there a philosopher, or writer that you admire?

PK: Right now, we are very interested in a novel by Jorge Luis Borges. It is a story about a writer who was so taken by Miguel de Cervantes’ Don Quixote that he re-wrote the novel in exactly the same way. Borges compares the two identical novels, stating the second is superior to the first. This has really challenged us to think about authorship.

H: A city you really like/ that inspires you?

PK: Definitely Paris. It’s a feeling. We really love the cinema culture here — you can go to the cinema at any hour, day or night, and see wonderful films.

H: Is there a project that you wish to do, but haven’t yet had a chance to realise?

PK: We have a research idea, but it’s too good to share! It will be around the history of romantic movies and political censorship.