Tobias Daemgen was born in 1980 in Braunschweig and is currently living in Wuppertal. He graduated in Communication Design from the University of Applied Sciences and in Media Arts from the Academy of Media Arts Cologne. Since the formation of the artists collective RaumZeitPiraten in 2007 he travels internationally with exhibitions, performances, workshops and lectures.
A focal point of his works is the creation of multimedia environments and performing with individualised optoacoustic instruments, experimenting with the poetic potential of science.
Among others he has received scholarships from the Kölnische Kunstverein Cologne, Kunststiftung NRW Düsseldorf and the Stiftung Kunstfonds Bonn.
My first impressions leave me confused. It is Bengaluru, India, the garden city, but it is a hell of a city and a heaven of plants or was it the other way round? This city is deliriously green.
I am in love with the jungled vegetation, though one is not sure whether it is eating the city or the city is eating it.
These trees are divine giants, even the biggest German oak looks cute compared to them. They make me feel the weight of time. I am a child, a nervous spore, hastily drifting over this planet for a short moment while they just unhurriedly stay in place and slowly reach out to eternity...
Fried as a bird
buzzing, bristling, humming, honking. hey! what are you looking for? two fifty! two fifty, sir! never resting. nearly bursting. beep, beep, hoot, honk. careful sir! never stopping. hoot, hoot, honk, beep. whirling, running. never stopping. in every possible direction. gliding, shifting, drifting. hoot, honk, honk. go! with it! moving. moving. slow, slow, faster! beep, beep! fast! slow, slow. and fast again. hoot, hoot. honk, honk. flow with it but don’t you ever dare to hesitate… unless you are a cow…
Oh, oh, Bengaluru!
City of unlimited growth, city of unlimited decay. First days are over but you still leave me confused. Constant collapse is your progression. Shores of trash divided by floods of traffic.
Untamed mega-city, are you the future? Self-regulating system taking over or spreading cancer guzzling its host? How to understand the beauty of a tumour?
Unknown man: “Sir, are you alright?“
Me: “Uhm, no. I think I will miss my flight. Thirty minutes to go, standing here in endless queue.“ Unknown man: “So sorry, didn't you know?“
Me: “Yes, I did, arrived two hours ago, but security felt like I should be ripped. Machine gun outside on the floor, walking up and down in front of my small back rooms door. "What is this? And what´s that for? What´s it worth? Where you got it and where the hell you think you want to go?“ Unknown man: “Oh, so sorry, please step ahead! You go first, I am not late.“
Me: “Very kind dear sir! I guess I will still miss my flight but belief in mankind is restored!“ Unknown woman: “You won't make it. Listen to me, all those people, look at them, you are in India, they are kind, they will understand.“
Me: “You think so? I am from Germany, don´t mess with the holy queue!“ Unknown woman: “Come on! Give it a try!“
Me: “Are you sure?“ Unknown woman: “Sure, don´t be shy!“
Me: “Excuse me sir?!“ Second unknown man: "Sure! Just cross those lines!“
Me: "Thank you!” Loudspeaker announcement: “Last call for flight LH0755 to Frankfurt. Gate will be closed in five minutes.“
Me: “Excuse me, I was delayed by…“ Third unknown man: “No problem, go get your flight.“
Me: “Thanks! Excuse me, I…“ Second unknown woman (nods, and steps aside)
Me: “I was…“ Third unknown woman: “…“
Me: “Thank you very much!“ Fourth unknown man: “…“
Me: “…“
(The scene goes on until I pass the whole queue without anyone complaining.)
