A prank about to sit, to put and to lay down at the occasion of the exhibition of Sabine Rehlich.


Nora Sdun

On the internetsite Gutenberg.de there are 220 hits for the search: katheder (high desk). This is the output to be fished in German-speaking history of literature, but only for writings which rights are free hence their authors have been dead for at least 70 years. About that long catheders have been in danger to be abolished. The reform pedagogics is even older but so far suceeded with more deficient. Still no high school student who  goes to school right now is
able to explain without hesitation the difference between a "Katheder" (high desk) and "Katheter"(catheter).

This of course is an allegation. The horrendous number of wrong inputs on google gives the right to the conclusion that an especially medically practical thing contents with the honorable high desk for the rank. One does not really want to think about the misunderstandings which may come from this, anyways the phrase ex kathedra, the god representing announcement in questions of belief down from the papal stool is acutely threatened  by a joke.

Maybe because of that Sabine Rehlich chose the title PODIUM for her exhibition because 'podium' is still unmistakable but the term 'podium'  describes only the place where a high desk is put up. A desk, a speaker's desk, at which one of course also can write and read but especially speak and stand, as the desk itself stands and that even though the place of its materialization is called professorial chair.

The cathedra (the chair or the professoral chair) has been a symbol of authority of a public functionary since ancient times. Here the terms of to sit and to stand are confused, in addition to 'der Lehrgang' (the course) and 'der Leerlauf' (idle, or neutral gear) in courses whose inhabitant of the professioral chair in not able to stimulate the brains of their students.
The chair, for example a bishop's chair, signifies more a position than a place to sit. But the official authority is just transferred by the word 'chair', because it is a ruler's throne and to stand around it or next to it is something for servants actually.
 From such a seat occurs 'lenken' (to guide) as well as 'steuern' (to steer)* no matter if one sits or stands doing this. At high desks one stands. This has to do a lot with the overview one has there but also speaks of a certain physical mental unsettleness which would force one to a consistent up and down otherwise.

So Sabine Rehlich has put up here standing desks with a view of the buzzing traffic on Wandsbeker Chaussee (name of the street where EINSTELLUNGSRAUM is on). What else can be said about standing desks: they are awe-inspiring because standing people have an advantage regarding distinction compared to lying people as it is well-known one cannot sleep when standing, something lying ones do most albeit not always. To be awake has more authority for some reason, especially to be awake and not moving, as craftsmen tend to do that is not to really do anything, hence lurking, waiting hence lurking, waiting, waiting for stillness that is supposed to come up in the hall, waiting for Santa Claus. Waiting people are granted respect as they have to be patient and that is almost done-without these days - thanks to wireless communication even during the short interval of uncertainty if person X is going to appear at the agreed-upon meeting point is filled with nervous and unsettled ringing......

Well and there one waits and holds on to the desk, that is what these desks mainly are  for - to hold on to in order not to sway in one's decision to wait. Resulting from this  very pretty thoughts climp up at the legs of the standing desks as if to pass time. Hence a standing desk is something like a winding support, a thought-winding support. The flower remains invisible, coming from thoughts it is a wound up at the desk and developed idea. The fertilizer for such flowers are most of the time on top of the desk as scraps of paper - as they are here. In expectation to be understood, but otherwise indifferent - like fertilizers always are indifferent - because fertilizers are no educationalists. Different from people standing at the desk it does not matter to the fertilizers if one is over-fertilized or remains poor on nutrients.
 
That is how these scraps should be unterstood, they are indifferent amongst themselves, the reader has to determine himself his/her dosage of - in this case: poetical - fertilizer. Hence podiums and high desks are supports for winding and the fertilizers for the winding thoughts is the stuff on each desk.

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*for more in-depth text regarding these two terms please refer to the subject of this year and also the texts for the exhibition/talks "Steuermann fass das Steuer an" and "Der Wagenlenker"

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