Restoration of the Witch

The two video works are based on interviews with art restorers specialising in stone sculptures. I interviewed Marija Milchin from the Angewandte (University of Applied Arts) and Johann Nimmrichter from the Federal Office for the Conservation of Monuments to gather their insights on the damage to Teresa Ries' marble sculptures, including The Witch.

During the interviews, I asked a series of questions, such as how long they believed the sculptures had been exposed to the elements, whether they could determine if the damages were caused by vandalism, and what factors contributed to the deterioration. According to their statements, the sculpture could have been damaged on more than one occasion. Milchin noticed characteristic hollows in the surface of the face of The Witch, which may have been made by shrapnel. Nimmrichter considered that it is very unlikely that The Witch was intentionally damaged by the Nazis on account of the subject of the sculpture or the Jewish origin of its author. The theme of the witch frequently appears in German folklore.

I also inquired about their opinions on whether the lost hand holding scissors should be reconstructed. These conversations with art restorers were essential for exploring my concept of "symbolic reconstruction," as the restoration of monuments involves literally reconstructing and supplementing missing parts of works of art.

My works highlight the distinction between reconstruction in the conservation of monuments, where the decision is typically binary—either to reconstruct or not—and the more nuanced possibilities in the realm of art.

To separate the sections of conversation, I used boards with questions and a sound layer that mimics the striking of a sharp tool on stone. When heard out of visual context, these sounds can evoke both the creation of new forms and the act of destruction. The persistent knocking also symbolises determination and a consistent pursuit of a goal.