poetics of passing
Poetics of Passing is a site-specific installation, publication, and lecture performance at the Alte Tankstelle Deutz, Cologne, reflecting on the poetry of transit, of passing, on the silence that follows moments of commonality, of exuberant hedonism. Understanding the gas station as a place of transit, of momentary lingering, pausing, and resting, the presented works and texts contemplate on a language of farewell, acknowledging the end as central to each narrative.
Nora Hansen with contributions by Leda Bourgogne, CAConrad, Logan February, Markues, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Ofem Ubi, Curated by Miriam Bettin
Installation view, Poetics Of Passing, Alte Tankstelle Deutz, 2023, Photo: Alwin Lay
Nora Hansen, I want to paint your name in the sky (myths of creation), 2023, Silicon Curtain, Cotton Stitching Thread, Photo: Christopher Gerberding
Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Spit (Written between 2018 – 2022), Markues, The Answers You Seek Will Never Be Found At Home (2019), Ofem Ubi, smoke by birth (written 2023), grief: semantics (written 2022), Logan February, Òshun, Pitanga (All published 2021), Inkjet Print, Photo: Alwin Lay
Nora Hansen, I want to paint your name in the sky (myths of creation), 2023, Plexiglass, Cotton and Silk Stitching Thread, Nylon Organza, Photo: Alwin Lay
CAConrad, GLITTER IN MY WOUNDS (2021), MEMORIES OF WHY I STOPPED BEING A MAN for Jason Dodge (2021), Inkjet Print, Photo: Alwin Lay
Nora Hansen, I want to paint your name in the sky (myths of creation), 2023, Silicon, Cotton and Silk Stitching Thread, Nylon Thread, Metal, Plexiglass, Photo: Alwin Lay
Installation view, Poetics Of Passing, Alte Tankstelle Deutz, 2023, Photo: Alwin Lay
Documentation Reading by Leda Bourgogne and Nora Hansen at Poetics Of Passing, Alte Tankstelle Deutz, 2023, Photo: Christopher Gerberding
Eileen Myles, THE TRIP (2019), Stills, Screening at Poetics Of Passing, Alte Tankstelle Deutz, 2023
How do we say goodbye? How do we let go of wishes, dreams, and people? How can the end be celebrated as part of life, inherent to every new beginning – and what remains? Poetics of Passing is a site-specific installation, publication, and lecture performance at the Alte Tankstelle Deutz reflecting on the poetry of transit, of passing, on the silence that follows moments of commonality, of exuberant hedonism. Understanding the gas station as a place of transit, of momentary lingering, pausing, and resting, the presented works and texts contemplate on a language of farewell, acknowledging the end as central to each narrative.
The passing cars and travellers provide the backdrop for a temporary staging in the outdoor space surrounding the former pit stop, accompanied by text works of invited artists and writers as well as a newly produced installation of Nora Hansen (I want to paint your name in the sky (myths of creation), 2023) in the exhibition space. The remnants of a festive table in the parking lot, the pedestrian bridge over the expressway, a garage courtyard, the wood-panelled bar counter of the interior once turned into a venue for private parties provide a stage for poetry and performances on the opening day and invite the visitors to pause and read.
Nora Hansen with contributions by Leda Bourgogne, CAConrad, Logan February, Markues, Monilola Olayemi Ilupeju, Ofem Ubi
Curated by Miriam Bettin
Poetics of Passing is funded by the Kulturamt Köln.