»Überfluss« - Klingendes Papier von Clemens Schneider

After training as a stone sculptor and then studying painting, Stuttgart-based artist Clemens Schneider decides on a new artistic direction: he turns to paper. Schneider soon realized that the paper he needed to realize his ideas was not available on the market. The artist, who has been interested in mechanical processes and technology since his childhood, finally resorts to an old craft. Using a specially developed process and self-made equipment made from recycled materials, he produces so-called rag paper. To do this, he collects used jeans and T-shirts from his circle of friends and processes the old clothes into a paper pulp, which he then spreads on a windbreak net and incorporates contact microphones. Dried and wound onto a roller, this is how his sounding paper is created.

In 2023, we were able to acquire the large-format work "Überfluss" (Abundance) by Clemens Schneider for our Graphic Art Collection. The work deals with our throwaway society, which lives in abundance, in which things are produced and disposed of, built and destroyed. In addition to blue jeans and white T-shirts, the artist uses noise from a Stuttgart construction site in "Überfluss", which he technically transforms into a meditative sound. Through the process of paper production with recycled material, Schneider focuses on the original quality of art as a craft, which is increasingly receding into the background, especially in times of artificial intelligence.

The work "Überfluss", which was first shown in 2022 in the project space of the Kunstverein Wagenhalle, is now on display in the exhibition "Überfluss. Sounding Paper by Clemens Schneider" in the Graphik-Kabinett. The expansive installation enters into a physical and acoustic dialog with the audience, creating an immersive experience.