Interview: Katerina Šedá

Katerina Seda: Kateřina Šedá and inhabitants from Líšeň at the installation in Sculpture Park,

So you are here with a lot of people. How many are they?

I am here with 40 people.

40 people?

Yes, it's crazy, I know.

Are you working with them for your installation?

Yes, I made a performance with these people Friday in Sculpture Park. We are here three days: Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Yesterday we took a tour around the city in the car and today we will again sit in the car.

You are showing two installations at this Berlin Biennale: one inside in KunstWerke with small objects and paperwork and the other one outside in Sculpture Park. How are they related to each other?

The work in KunstWerke are sketches and the first part of this project – it’s like looking from my head – and the Sculpture Park is the second part, like action, and the project will be continued now in my village.

This installation shows what my people bring to Berlin: one person brings a ladder and the second person brings a bathtub – it is a co-operation with people.

Did you make the paperwork alone or is there also a collaboration with the other people?

I made most of them alone, but some of the pieces were made by the other people too.

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable drawings, models, mixed media

A lot of your works have to do with crossing borders: in this installation to the neighbours, and in ‘It doesn’t mattter’ crossing the border to your depressed grandmother by making her draw from her memory – and finally also as a formal principle in your paperwork where you are often using the shape of a circle which has a border that divides an inside from an outside. What does this subject of “crossing borders” in your work mean to you?

In my country it is a difficult situation after 1999. For me it’s like people are big fences. For me it’s the most important picture to show each person the second person. It’s the topic of my work to show people each other. I try to make everything for this one thing. Like in this project: people are close together and they never speak. And now they have art together and go by bus.

How did you convince 40 people to take part in your work and come with you to Berlin?

A lot of people told me: I go with this neighbour but not with this. I spoke with maybe 200 people. Now it looks easy, but it was very difficult.

Do you see an element of hostility or mistrust in your society now or how do you explain that neighbours in a small village don’t talk?

I think in communism everybody had something similar. Everybody had a similar house and a similar car. Now somebody has five cars and somebody is very poor. I think this is the first problem. The second problem is that everybody is very isolated. Before 1999 there was a big fence around all my country. And now this fence is all over – between the people. Before in communism we must be together… one minute (Kateřina Šedá gets up and goes to talk to some people from her team) … I’m sorry for this interruption. I need a big break after this action.

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media		Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media

How are your people enjoying it here?

I think they are very happy. I tried to make a program for them: Yesterday we went to galleries and we made a tour around the city by bus. A lot of people are the first time in Berlin. I also give them some free time, so they can do something on their own.

So you have a double role: On the one hand you are a travel guide having a social interest in your people and in bringing them together – this social interest you could also have without being an artist. But on the other hand you are an artist with an aesthetical interest. How are these interests coming together?

For me a very important thing is, when I start a project the first input is a visual input, not social. For example when I go to the village – and now in my country are bigger fences – I see no borders and this is a visual moment: I would like to see everybody and show one person the second person.

And after the second part is the social part. My idea was to bring people together through the thing, which divides people. And then the fence becomes the connection between them. Each person sees the fence only from one side and my idea was to show each person this fence from both sides. In the start of the project, people met at the fence and talked about what to bring to Berlin. I think it was a good thing to show the fence as something for communication.

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Diameter 9,55 m installation mixed media Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Diameter 9,55 m installation, mixed media

The fence elements from the installation in Sculpture Park – did you bring them from Czechia?

No they are an exact copy made by a company here. I send them the photos of each fence and they built an exact copy. Sometimes it was difficult, for example some fences were made of a special glass from the Czech republic.

So what is your next project?

It’s secret. But I can say that in my projects it’s important that each project creates the next project. In my last project, I send shirts to a thousand people. The idea was that they got all the wrong shirts, so they had to contact each other and sort it out. I’ve got a lot of letters about it and one comment was: “I hate this place. People love only fences!” This was giving me the idea for this project – to do something about the fences.

And now people in the bus speak very much about one certain thing, which will be taken up in the next project.

Thank you very much for this interview •

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable drawings, models, mixed media

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008, Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media.

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media		Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media

Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media		Katerina Seda: Over and Over, 2008. Dimensions variable, drawings, models, mixed media