Here things and symbols are enriched with etymologic knowledge that reflects the history of development of terms. Besides the clarification of the meaning of the word those things and symbols also support the cultural development which is contained in the name of the things.

3. Etymology of braking

The artist presents under the title Gesprächsfessel (converstion shackle) the associations and thoughts posed by her image writing and places the origin of the term bremsen (braking) in this context.  Thus it is included in the visual examination of the associative development of shapes which then are enhanced by the etymologic basics of the term  taken from the dictionary by Friedrich Kluge. According to this bremsen (braking) is connected with middle-lower German and Dutch pramen which means 'to press' and indicates the (flax)press Prame in Westphalian. This term of 'pushing' and 'clamping' was also used for the muzzle and the clamp respectively, which was fastened to or inside the nose of working animals to subdue or steer them. Such 'premesen' (middle low German) or 'bremsen' (late middle high German) have been replaced nowadays for example with horses by bridles and kerbs with teeth.  Here it becomes clear that  when technical innovations occur terms either disappear or get transferred to other domains. In the process the brake (German: bremsen) has slipped from the nose of the domestic animal to the wheels of carriages and then to the hub of motor vehicles.

When one transfers this picture series to humans who are the only creatures that have organized written and voice language in a societal  way then in a 'science society' they appear as writing and speaking work animals that produce the basis for this society and consequently for profit. The use of the word "Maulkorb" (muzzle) as metaphor for census downright underlines with this that the development of thinking is subordinated to authoritative guiding procedures like the ones burdened on work animals (the academic subject of language is probably in no literature as strongly reflected as in the Austrian for example by Peter Handke and Alfred Kolleritsch). Sponsored is what pleases and what is opportunistic. As soon as the direction is not liked guiding intervention occurs. Even if that happens with more subtle means than nose pegs nowadays the altruistic government clerk likes to point out that the working animal is fed well. Thus one keeps on messing about (by leading with a string attached to then nose - which the German "an der Nase herum-fuehren" literally means) and uses these (this) means (method) to domineer and to obstruct people. Not every journalist is fired because of a non-liked opinion but just the threat of rearranging a show to a different time slot in programming may cause direction changes that show that the guiding of 'working animals' has not only been transferred to humans analogously in all areas of society but  is effective also in a physical way -  living on in phrases (like "an der nase herumfuehren").

Despite all inhibitive procedures symbols and languages develop permanently and possibly just because when they end up being under pressure. Then it is essential just because of the difficult conditions to abandon 'conversation shackles' faster than muzzles being fastened. This is an adventure, because when I talk to you here you notice yourselves that my language always then gets tenuous when I get closer to areas in which it not applicable according to common ideals, rules and practices. This especially the case when artists do not follow the mainstream for which language rules have already been established but a Babylonian practice which ignores or circumvents conventions. Not always does one get to 'the core of the matter' exactly, often one takes detours to avoid an interrelation instead of 'circling it' until one is pulled in.

Admittedly one can write whatever: there always remains a rest that cannot be captured by symbolizations and keeps on haunting around without repre- sentation. Who picks up the rest? who cares about that? Besides the writers there are always also male and female artists who are  responsible for the aspects of language that reach into the field of fine art. But also they produce excess which escapes the complete symbolic coverage.




5. What escapes symbolization

What is not symbol or cannot become one should be named as the A-symbolic. In the exhibition one finds a picture series with the title "ASYMBOLIE". Here Bahlke-Meisel plays with fluent changes of symbols (morphing). So in one sequence an eye changes into a row of teeth visible in a slightly opened mouth. Bisected horizontally a bridge becomes of it. When the pillars are put on the ground the symbol of a half - thus a setting or rising - sun forms. When the arc of circle is stretched the rays do not expand in every direction any longer but in a parallel by which they become bristles of a brush and a broom when outfitted with a stick. This game with symbols of which a short series was only was taken here connects areas of everyday life with those of the body, the senses and cosmology, by which the artist starts off at the basis of symbol generating. Though here items are still identifiable - different from for example with the developed pictograms of Chinese character writing- it becomes obvious that the similarity of pictograms do not show logical correlations but certainly allow poetical connections as they are common in collage and in poetry.