Test Dig No. 1 (week 6); 2012; excavated 19th-century spiral staircase discovered by chance underneath the former death strip of the Berlin Wall, Berlin- MiOe; 280x200x200cm; 2012
Erik Smith
Germany
Interdisciplinary
Artist in Residence, 2026
↗ www.eriksmith.de
Artist Statement
My work centers on—and emerges from—investigations of place: the unearthing of a nineteenth-century spiral staircase discovered by chance beneath the so-called death strip of the Berlin Wall; the casting of a “dead space” concealed within the walls of an exhibition pavilion in Austria; or, most recently, the drilling of core samples from the seventeenth-century foundations of a former castle turned contemporary art institution in Warsaw.
These explorations are grounded in what I describe as performing the site—actions that extract the underlying features and meanings of spaces while also pointing to what remains concealed and resists articulation. By drawing attention to the features of the built environment that exist at the margins of awareness, my aim is to question what constitutes a sense of place and the role that less visible, hidden, or subliminal aspects play in its perception.
While At Headlands
While at Headlands, I will explore the buildings, structures, and surrounding terrain, focusing specifically on what constitutes the area’s outwardly visible as well as its latent, concealed dimensions. My “on-the-ground” research will consist of walking, observing, photographing, and making field recordings in order to identify a potential site in which to intervene sculpturally, sonically.
