Simon says:

Finally here's some documentation for my most recent art endeavour. I have a piece in this show 'Batman Elektronik' in Berlin right now. After not having had anything sculptural out for more than a year, this feels a bit like a comeback thing.

I'm not sure how and when I got inspired to build something out of inflatable weapons, but once I had them, I instantly felt the old love of materials and working with space again.

Also, my housemates were delighted when the first batch arrived:

I was surprised by how easy it actually was to glue those things together, but I didn't expect them to be made that badly. Over the course of building the sculpture, more or less every time I inflated it, I had to discover another seam that had cracked. A main offender was the gun I found this bizarre review for:

Instead of being 'pretty cool' as the lady here keeps insisting, this peace of shit had its seams ripping apart in different places at least 6-7 times, and of course it wasn't the only one doing that. Which meant that the sculpture most of the time deflated within minutes after being pumped up regardless of how many patches I'd already put on.

I thought of finding some automated solution for inflating it, but after some fruitless efforts of trying to find a strong enough electric pump, I decided to just do it by hand around every half hour during the private view. So if you happen to be in Berlin some time between now and the 19th of January, you're either gonna have to ask the gallery staff to inflate it for you or even better, do it yourself, to see it in all its glory...

Wooh, I have a piece in a show in Berlin right now.

BATMAN ELEKTRONIK

Opening of the show & artist book release

opening 08.11.2013 // 6pm-9pm @

Galerie Mikael Andersen

Pfefferberg, Haus 4 Christinenstrasse 18/19 / 10119 Berlin (close to U2, Senefelderplatz) Opening hours Galerie Mikael Andersen Tue-Sat 12-6 pm / show open till 19.01.2014 / free entry

list of artists Andreas Arndt, Madeleine Boschan, Mitchel Breed, Chad Burt, Frieder Butzmann, Sol Calero, Francesco Cavaliere, C U, Jan Deyrieux, Alex Dordoy, Lucie Freyenhagen, Christina Gay, Philip Grözinger, Nathan Gwynne, Andy Hope 1930, Nicolas Humbert, Christopher Kline, Raul Kraz, Sebastian Meschenmoser, Zoë Claire Miller, Paula Müller, Patrick Niemann, Julia Oschatz, Michael Pohl, Emma van der Put, Judy Ross, Simon Schäfer, Caroline Schmidt, Nicolás Spencer, Steven Warwick, Marlon Wobst

list of writers Agatha Gristly, Stephan Schleim, Volker Pietsch, Rune Gade

curated by Ernst Markus Stein & Fritz Bornstück

http://www.pw-verlag.org

I will have a Warstware booth at the Elephant&Castle Mini Maker Faire on Saturday 6th of June.

I'll be around there pretty much all day and at some point, I'm gonna do a performance of sorts (no idea yet when that's gonna be-will update as soon as I know). The whole thing will take place in the London College of Communication which obviously is around Elephant & Castle.

Please pop by if you feel like it.

Here's some documentation of the Gazillion Gazebo project. It was a lot fun, even if I expected to freeze off a toe or my arse or something...

Anyways, here it is, and with it a big thank you to the great people of LICHTER Streetview, The Frankfurter Verein für Künstlerhilfe for saving the project financially and Heike for filming. And of course to everyone who was there for being there!

I decided to make the Warstware site, documenting my endeavours in circuit bending and machine hackery, official. It's still far from complete and quite messy because I'm slowly getting out of hibernation and projects are piling up, but in my opinion, it's too nice to keep informal for very much longer. Comments and productive criticism are appreciated.

Here we go:

Liebe Frankfurter/Offenbacher/Umfeldianer,

Ich wurde von Lichter Streetview eingeladen, am 22.-23. 3. in der Frankfurter Innenstadt eine neue Performance/Intervention mit dem Namen 'Gazillion Gazebo' zu präsentieren:

An audio-visal live performance/installation loosely based on the overflow of information encountered in an urban environment. Operating a laboratory of Warstware (circuit bent video and sound equipment), Simon Schäfer alias der Warst transforms a customary gazebo into both an immersive environment and a vibrant public sculpture.

Leider haben sich jetzt Probleme ergeben, die es den Lichterleuten leider nicht ermöglichen, mir die erforderliche Technik zur Verfügung zu stellen. Das ist ärgerlich, ich fände es allerdings sehr schade, wenn dadurch die ganze Sache ins Wasser fallen müsste. Also ist DIY angesagt.

Ich brauche für die Realisation des Projektes folgendes:

• 3 Videoprojektoren, die auf möglichst kurze Distanz ein möglichst großes Bild erzeugen
• Einen 3x3 Meter großen Gartenpavillon mit 3 Seitenwänden
• Irgendeine Anlage für den Sound. Muß nix großes sein, weil die Stadt sich sowieso mal wieder lautstärketechnisch ins Höschen macht.

Wenn ihr irgend etwas von der obigen Liste habt, das ich für zwei Nächte ausleihen kann oder irgend jemanden wisst, der mir hier weiterhelfen könnte, möchte ich euch bitten, mir so schnell wie möglich bescheid zu sagen.

Usually, I don't talk publicly about stuff that I just sent out, having no idea how the other side is gonna pick it up. I spent hours and hours today thinking about how to write two sentences. After having actively avoided to think about them for some days. And then it just had to be done. No time, no time.

And here it was. After hours of trying to formulate some farty crap to impress whomever:

The Gazillion Gazebo

An audio-visal live performance/installation loosely based on the overflow of information encountered in an urban environment. Operating a laboratory of Warstware (circuit bent video and sound equipment), Simon Schäfer alias der Warst transforms a customary gazebo into both an immersive environment and a vibrant public sculpture.

I really want to do this. Hopefully it's gonna work...

Building on a sexy Warstware Kaoss Pad KP1.

Progress so far:

• - pitchbender/bitcrusher
• - loop switch + yellow indicator LED
• - backlight LEDs changed to white
• - videoprint integrated into touchpad
• - button LEDs changed to green
• - 5V/Gnd Switch
• - 3 bends

Will be for sale soon.

Let me know if you're interested.

Warstware
Warstware
Warstware

So there have been a few shows recently. Generally, it feels good to be playing live again. Althought the new setup needs a lot of work until it functions in a way that I want it to. But that's only my stuff and I didn't really expect it to work right away. In any case, it would be way less of a problem if it wasn't for all those fucking annoying PA idiots.

How come so many sound system people are just absolute fucking pussies when it comes to aggressive electronic live music? They bring a completely oversized PA to the venue and play punk bands and breakcore records at deafening volumes, but once I'm on, they shit their pants and turn the levels down to barely audible. Even if I tell them to turn it up about 4 times. Of course then the audience gets annoyed and leaves.

GROW SOME BALLS OR GET A FUCKING LIMITER, ASSHOLES!

It is so incredibly annoying to have just another performance ruined by some sound guy who just doesn't fucking get it.

And don't even get me started about that drugged idiot who thinks he needs to touch my instruments/mixer/whatever.

Yes, I am in a slightly bad mood.

Working on my next lab.
Entirely Gameboy-less.
Neusound.