Digital Tour Deb

These "natural obligations" just appear as natureful, since they are actually created by society. Therefore they can be called "second nature". Thus second nature appears for example as the endless rhythm of work and spare time that is generally accepted as fateful and inevitably as the cycle of the seasons is. Or in the shape of goods, which are carrier and product of socially mediated work at the same time. A single good can not be just for itself, but only through a different one. Whereby universally anyone is referable on any different one. For this reason the totality of the market is inevitable. The totality, however, paradoxically is only able to assemble by an outwardly part to it, which is nature: took up by the market in a constantly growing scale.

As the critical theoretician Theodor W. Adorno explains, culture is not to be seen opposite to nature. More than this, culture contains the retaining and care of nature. The origin of the word "culture" from Latin means the work of a farmer (land maintains). Adorno uses the beautiful example of wine here, which is a highly respected cultural product. Its quality becomes more enjoyed, if some taste of the ground and the landscape in which the vine grew remains retained in it. Seeing it this way, aesthetic work can be regarded to as the refinement of nature. On the other hand, this work creates a third category that neither can be attributed to nature nor the mechanical machinery of the instrumental reason. Since it was formed by the human will, it is not any more an article of nature . But it is as little subordinated to a purpose and therefore not subjected to the instrumental reason. Thus art is, where it succeeds, a form of social mediation, which shows beyond the existing conditions. Additionally art is "development of truth", since it is always a negation of wrong society just by its very structure, already. This is possible by questioning the general hegemony of instrumental reason. Things, humans and societies come to truth in art, because art endeavours to reconcile the internal contradictions of these. In a work of art, which also actually deserves this designation, nature and culture find a common place. The "internal nature" of humans (the unconscious) and its suppression, like the outward nature and its control are potentially dialectically amalgamated in art, from which a new third results. However, art is not able to supply a positive utopia. The "new third" is not mediated differently, than by a work of art. In the most successful works some little flash of liberty seems up, which however cannot mediate itself in any different way. Aesthetic production is not excluded from a world of irreconciled contradictions in which thus things and humans do not arrive at themselves. The challenge of great art therefore lies in the appeasing of the contradictions. That means to bring nature and nature-control into a special condition, that means: to unity. Examples of such great pieces of art are found for example inside Picasso's and Beethoven's works.

Bruno & Michel are smiling does not regard itself as serious music, to say nothing of great art. The music of Bruno & Michel are smiling is pulled through by numerous contradictions. Like thus for example the contradiction between spontaneity on the one hand (in music it can be present as improvisation) and cool abstraction on the other hand (for example mathematical composition techniques). This contradiction is decided in favour of the latter one. Composition at the computer already brings this imbalance structurallywith itself. In addition, the author has dislikes to side with authenticity, because it is considered as bare ideology, in the way authenticity is desired today. The public does not reflect over the condition of authenticity, which is mediated by society, already. Finally, the longing after authenticity led in Germany to Auschwitz .

A steady oscillating between conflicting moments during the creation process is a more complex, but fruitful component of composition, which comes down to indecision and fragmented pieces. In this way Bruno & Michel are smiling reflects the conditions again, without going beyond them. Bruno & Michel are smiling creates thus entertainment music that remains stuck to the conditions. The only contribution it could give to emancipation is its reflexive moment that can make the listener attentive on his own internal contradictions.

HAMBURG/Germany, 11.09.04

Sten Backman is a visual artist, composer and graphic designer, based in Stockholm. His fields of work include many areas, such as branding and identity, editorial, interactive applications, product design, websites, exhibition design, music videos and record covers. Backman collaborates regularily with J.G Thirlwell (aka Foetus) and, among other things, made the visuals for Thirlwell´s album "Xordox".

During the years 2018-2022, Rozenhall and Backman have showed and presented their works worldwide, including performances in Latvia, Italy, Switzerland, Mexico, China, Hong Kong, Macau, Taiwan, Japan, Thailand, Denmark and Sweden. In 2022, Rozenhall and Backman received the prestigeous 'Award of Distinction' in the category for audiovisual arts at the MA/IN Festival in Lecce, Italy, for their work 'Den förföljdes gryning', containing Rozenhall's music and Backman's visuals.

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