Erinnerungsspur--Statische Vibration (Memory's Trace--Static Vibration) Possibly 1978 - 1979

Curator: The piece before us is Dieter Appelt’s *Erinnerungsspur--Statische Vibration (Memory's Trace--Static Vibration)*, likely from 1978-79. Appelt was known for combining photography, sculpture, and body art in intriguing ways. Editor: Intriguing is one word for it. I'm struck immediately by the earthy texture. The way the light plays on what looks like a tangle of organic matter – roots, perhaps? – combined with a pair of ghostly hands. There's something undeniably unsettling about it. Curator: I agree. That tactile quality speaks volumes. Appelt worked often with gelatin silver print and mixed media, achieving this striking visual effect. The hands are almost mummified, intertwined with these root-like forms, evoking a deep sense of history and the body's relationship with the earth. He aimed, I think, to reveal the invisible, to materialize memory itself. Editor: Materialize is right! It looks almost performative, doesn't it? The careful arrangement, the lighting…I'm curious about his process. Was it all photographed, or were these sculpted elements present at the moment of the shot? The scale is interesting too—knowing that the hands are physically intertwined allows the artwork to touch on our bodily selves, in a material fashion. Curator: It is intentionally ambiguous, blurring those boundaries between process and product. Appelt saw the photographic process as a means of capturing something beyond surface appearance. This could perhaps relate to old spiritual practices or rituals involving natural materials that are then used for the production of photography, merging technique and memory through tactile symbols. Editor: The roots and vines definitely have a symbolic weight— binding, grounding, but also perhaps suffocating? It's interesting how a seemingly static image creates a sense of intense transformation, a vibration in its visual presence as indicated in its title. Curator: Absolutely. The vibration speaks to a psychological space, to the tremors of the past made manifest through the sculptural elements. It is haunting and very revealing in terms of human consciousness, and its rooted-ness into existence. Editor: Yes, the interplay between the earthiness and the ethereal nature of the photograph leaves us with this rather powerful, even haunting reminder that nothing is truly static. Curator: Exactly. Appelt gives form to that awareness. Editor: The way Appelt weaves all those elements together, there's something unforgettable there.