Tamás Kaszás

Why would I like to spend two months in Vienna?

Because (1) the distance and differences between Budapest and Vienna in physical as well in cultural space is not appreciable so much, but still (2) there are just few connections on the field of art or also in alternative movements (or so called "globalization critic" movement).

(1) To take part in artist in residency program usually means to travel and to become inspired by cultural and geographical differences in a new environment. This way the result of the program becomes realized as a site specific work or often just later at the artists native country. It can be very useful but sometimes I feel - as an artist who need to work for money in a workplace and do art in same time - it would be very helpful just to go somewhere without any cultural shock and loosing time by discovering the place. To me Vienna would be a perfect place to concentrate and work out projects which are based on inspiration from earlier. Right now I have two bigger plans for the next year, which would need some space:
- I've decided to build a functional warm house from colored stained glass. It would be used to grow plants in it. This project's ecological and spiritual aspects are really important to me. Right now the architectural structure of it is ready and also the planning of the gardener part is going on. Before the realization process first of all I need study on different aspects (biological, spiritual, ect.) of colored light and after to work out the iconography and the pictures of the stained glass walls of the warm house.
- In relation with the warm houses' iconography I’m supposed to collect in one and to place in order my "world models". The "world models" are written ideas, sketches, small drawings, and sometimes objects which are represent my theories and imagination about the system and details of world and life. These are based on environmental observing, scientific studies or spiritual experiences. I would like to give shape to them in art and put them in one in an installation. The installation will be a complex cabinet, to hold and show the models on a special way, which should be structured by the relation between the different models, and let some interactivity too.

(2) I would like get more connection with Vienna, and I think it would be possible during the two month via those few people (young artists and activists) I know earlier. I often work in collaboration with other artists and also during the residency program I would like to find partners for some common work  These connections could be really liveful and active later too, because Budapest and Vienna are really close to each other. 

Dokumentationof Kaszás Tamás' projekt in MQ

During the Artist-in-Residency program at the MQ I could process my digital photos I had taken in last three years and I prepared a continuously expanding narrative slide series. Originally these images have been uploaded on a regular basis to a blog, a diary-like structure on the internet (http://narrative.freeblog.hu*). The photos follow the image format familiar from children’s tales on slide, and thus are captioned. Each slide can be interpreted as the fragment of a longer story. Although the slides often involve cross-references, they constitute no linear unit. In most cases the images are based on digital photographs, and at times on scanned analogue photos. The photos are in all cases developed and post-processed via computer, which also accounts for internet publishing. In Vienna the number of pictures exceeded 80, so they can fill a carousel slide projector, which allows for presenting the series at the exhibition in much better quality than with digital projection. This medium change had to be prepared by hard work on computer. In MQ I had a pleasant and relaxed time to concentrate on this technical work too.

Near the work I could learn the city, see many exhibitions, visit nice bookshops and meet with lokal people. The most important result is: Vienna  - which is close to my home town – came much closer by the well known streets and new friends, I'm sure i will visit more often after this residency program.