The Max Hetzler Gallery published installation views, film stills, the portraits and video excerpts on their website.

The installation presents three videos and four portraits, installed in the very spacious and generous environment of the gallery, which is located in a refurbished factory space in Berlin Wedding.

The picture shown to the left:

Nicki
Liverpool, England, January 19, 2009
© Rineke Dijkstra

Each video work has a dedicated room, which allows for each to be well separated from the surroundings. Eight of the newest projectors create sharp and vivid images in full HD between two and three meters wide. Especially for the ‘Krazyhouse’ the sound is set just at the right level to support the individual characters and merge with the images equally.

Related Links

• Rineke Dijkstra’s ‘Liverpool’ exhibition overview here»

The exhibition entitled ‘Liverpool’ will feature the two video installations (introduced here») as well as a series of new portraits taken by Dijkstra during the production period.

Dijkstra’s time in Liverpool, her second period after her first visit in 1996, has inspired her to work again with the youth of the city, including a video installation based on her work ‘The Buzz Club’.

The picture shown to the left:

Amy
Liverpool, England, December 23, 2008
© Rineke Dijkstra

Please visit the Max Hetzler Gallery website here» to read more about the gallery and program. The Max Hetzler Gallery has been representing Rineke Dijkstra for many years amongst other renowned artist.

Alice Klar recently performed live with all new arrangements of their songs – written and arranged by Alice Klar’s own Christian Badzura – in the Parr Street Studio in Liverpool. In time with the second single DSCO DANCE, the video is released online as well as the live and radio version of the song as audio only.

Songs available on Soundcloud and AK’s website

DSCO DANCE is on rotation across several German radio stations and available online at Soundcloud. More live versions recorded at various Gigs of the Duo can be found at Soundcloud. Other tracks, including the first single ‘I Don’t Have A Story’ can be hear at Alice Klar’s website.

Press release 5th February 2010

After the debut single ‘I Don’t Have A Story’, Pop-Duo ALICE KLAR released their second single DSCO DANCE in February 2010.

Electronic Pop could describe the sound of the single most appropriately, in line with further songs currently available on www.aliceklar.com. With the help of the radio stations Berlin Radio Fritz and MDR Sputnik ALICE KLAR have gathered many German listeners and back home, here in England, they shared the stage with the likes of Santigold and Ladyhawke.

The native of Liverpool, singer Toni James, and the German producer Christian Badzura formed ALICE KLAR in 2007 with the objective to write those songs and lyrics together, which are really important to them. An unusual combination: Toni, who has gigged in bars in the north of England all her life and Christian, who had moved to England several years ago to delve into the English music scene.

Christian’s love for Strings is strongly featured in the song DSCO DANCE. “I love to arrange for strings and orchestras and did not have to hide this passion in ALICE KLAR,” says Christian. DSCO DANCE seems thus more ballad than dance track, despite the mostly electronic sounds. But the strong pace lends a special atmosphere to the track in the club.

“I was inspired by the cold and rough, anonymous atmosphere of a big city like Berlin. I remember being with my brother a few years ago, who lives in Berlin. I was walking home in early morning hours after a visit to the ‘Cookies Bar’, still carrying a Becks and a Burger. There is this particular melancholy in the air, accompanied by the size and architectural style of Berlin. It is hard to put this feeling into words.”

In the song it is the girl who walks home in the morning and wonders if she can even feel anything anymore, and sings: “How would the world turn out to be?”.

‘DSCO Dance’ is the second single from ALICE KLAR and gives a further insight into the 2010 anticipated album.

Irish rock band Gorbachov has finally unleashed the debut album “Can’t start the Machine” onto the net-world stage. It can be listen to in full using the Soundcloud player above.

Hildebrand recorded, mixed and co-produced the record. “I’m really into all the sounds and ideas we’ve put onto the record. Keeping it straight forward, but every song has its nuances. My favorites are Friends, Mr Fahrenheit and People Skills, they make such a great middle section of the album. But the more you listen to the album the better all the tracks get. I also really like Brandan’s lyrics, which are all about places, people and situations,” comments Hildebrand.

Four video stills: The Buzz Club
Liverpool, UK/Mysteryworld, Zaandam, NL 1996-1997
© Rineke Dijkstra

Hildebrand started working with renowned dutch photographer Rineke Dijkstra in November 2008. Dijkstra was looking for a sound recordist at the time, to be working on a new video installation. A working relationship developed spanning much further than capturing the sound and a friendship emerged, that would see Hildebrand involved at the deep end of many of her ideas.

So how do you write a blog about the work when you’re not allowed to give away the details – yet? Introducing Rineke Dijkstra as an artist and her previous work could be a way around this dilemma. The reader unfortunately has to wait until the installations will be premiered in 2010 in no less than some of the most famous galleries and museums in the UK and internationally.

“For a sound engineer, who has been occupied with recording and mixing music, this has been a rather surprising change of scene. But I don’t complain,” comments Hildebrand, “working with Rineke was a steep learning curve resulting in work that I’ll be forever really proud of, thanks to her allowing me to create alongside her.”

“Working with an artist such as Rineke, being strongly involved in the filming and editing of two new works, so close and on such highly creative level, is very special.”

Rineke Dijkstra

Rineke Dijkstra is a portrait photographer, born in 1959, who gained international acclaim for a number of portrait series. Signature works include: ‘Beach Portraits’, ‘New Mothers’, ‘Toreros after the fight’, ‘The Buzz Club’ and ‘The French Foreign Legion: Olivier Silva’.

In these works Dijkstra’s subjects are presented against minimal background and the techniques in lighting and photography developed by her makes the image appear less colourful. Dijkstra further keeps an unemotional distance as photographer, that allow for the subjects to take the center stage, often revealing a feeling of insecurity during transitional periods in their life. “What interests me is that ambivalent zone where you almost lose control,” Dijkstra explained about ‘The Buzz Club’ video.

Kolobrzeg, Poland, July 26, 1992
Julie, Den Haag, Netherlands, February 29, 1994
Vila Franca de Xira, Portugal, May 8, 1994
Olivier, Quartier Monclar, Djibouti, July 13, 2003
© Rineke Dijkstra

Rineke Dijkstra and Liverpool

Following the success of her video ‘The Buzz Club’, which was filmed in Liverpool in 1996, she decided that a continuation of this artwork in 2008 and 2009 would reveal how the people of the city and young culture has changed. Liverpool has a reputation for it’s vibrant club culture. A prime spot to cast young people of many peer groups and portrait both.

Rineke picked up on this special atmosphere the City has just as much now as when she first came in 1996. She has an impeccable ability to pick a person out of a clubbing crowd, who may never have been filmed before, but will eventually allow insight into his/her distinct character through the eye of the camera and the photographer.

The two works

A very hard process of scouting began and similar to ‘The Buzz Club’, the models – or better subjects – were asked to perform to music in a purpose build photo studio for the new series. What resulted from this process is a new piece, which seamlessly expands Dijkstra’s line of previous works. “In my opinion, if I may say that, this new artwork is about beauty, the beauty of people, their character, their culture, the music and the movement,” comments Hildebrand.

During filming of the first project Rineke Dijkstra presented Hildebrand with another idea, which would involve working with school classes and portraying the individual characters and the group’s dynamics. An exceptional piece with striking vibrancy has been created that finds resemblance in portrait photography, but takes its notion much further. The viewer gets mesmerized by the sound and vision and can decide to follow the crescendo of a conversation between the children of the class.

Related Links

• Rineke Dijkstra at Marian Goodman Gallery NYC here»
• Read an interview with Rineke here»
• See a collection of signature works (Spanish art blog) here»
• English and German Wikipedia entries
• Google Search for Rineke Dijkstra here»

Recommended books … Additional reading

Rineke Dijkstra

Rineke Dijkstra (Photographer), 2005

The Photography Book

Ian Jeffrey, 2000