Idömérés

Dora Maurer

Idömérés, 1973/80

Artwork text

Dóra Maurer’s films and videos are like experimental set-ups used to measure space, time, and movement and are characterized by formal rigor and their integration of chance events and unpredictable elements. They are performative works featuring the artist herself and capturing a sequence of motions governed by simple, clearly defined rules. Idömérés (Timing) shows the artist’s hands folding a white cloth in front of a black background—repeatedly and always following the same folding pattern. The repetition of the sequence and, above all, the editing of each individual sequence into a montage using a special camera masking technique highlight deviations in the flow of movement and slips of the hand. They open a space of possibility between strict experimental set-up and random variation, demonstrating the impossibility of reproducing human actions exactly. In Arányok (Proportions), Dóra Maurer measures the same strip of paper in different ways using her own body. The choreography follows a simple theory of proportions and creates a unique poetry of corporeality between the poles of repetition and variation. (Stefanie Grünangerl)