Sharing a rotating cherry
2024
print on canvas, varnish, glue, wood, metal, magnets
9x á 15x15x1,5 cm
Edition: 1/1
´Sharing a Rotating Cherry´ reflects on the effect of an individual point of view on an experience and visualizes the consequences of their simultaneous multiplicity on present-day relationships.
Each point of view represents only a fragment of the totality of possible perspectives. By displaying a selection of these viewpoints simultaneously, the investigated object, a cherry, appears to rotate.
The light directed at the cherry and the shadows it casts are essential for creating this impression and also carry a metaphorical dimension. If the viewer’s perspective, or the lens of the camera, aligns with the light source, no visible shadow appears. The greater the distance between the light source and the viewer’s position, the longer the shadow becomes and the more the perspective differs from others.
The German idiom “mit jemandem ist schlecht Kirschen essen” literally means “it is bad to eat cherries with someone.” In medieval times, cherries were considered a luxury. Wealthy people shared them among themselves and rejected unwanted guests by spitting cherry pits at them. As a result, the phrase came to describe someone who is unpleasant or difficult to associate with.
A metaphorical reading opens a possible strategy for contemporary relationships.
The fruit associated with overcoming rejection and economic inequality could be the paradisiacal apple. It symbolizes a utopian society without differences, but also without analytical and discursive agency. Yet such agency is essential for engaging with contemporary reality in a transformative way.
By retaining a single cherry and approaching it from multiple perspectives at the same time, it may become possible to develop a shared understanding that includes the shadows cast by each viewpoint. In this way, a cherry tree may grow, rooted in the plurality of perspectives while preserving the truth value of individual experiences.
