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Houses as walkable paintings

From the university magazine Zett

When restoring “Dorf 10”, Vera Marke researches, tests techniques and translates them into the picture. Photograph: Hannes Thalmann.

Published on 03.09.2023

Author Lea Ingber

  • Fine Arts

Vera Marke has spent the last three years restoring a listed house in the Canton of Appenzell Ausserrhoden. The fine arts lecturer approaches this task as if she were painting a picture.

Lea Ingber: What motivates you to restore an early 18th century house?

Vera Marke: I consider it disrespectful when old houses are demolished and cultural heritage disappears as a result. Especially nowadays, when questions about sustainability, the use of resources and CO₂ balancing are virulent. That’s why I want to prove that historic buildings can be reinvigorated with artistic means and designed to meet today’s needs. To this end, I apply my knowledge of materiality and expand it continuously through my research.

You’re restoring the building like a painting. How are you doing this?

I take account of the building materials used at the time by researching historical techniques, theoretically and practically, and by applying them to the building. For example, I cleaned the century-old paint in the parlour and retouched imperfections, much like restoring paintings. I used the original pigments, which make the paint seem transparent. Today’s paints, on the other hand, are opaque and constrict space. This paradigm shift in the treatment of historical paints has caused quite a sensation among experts.

What role does colour play in this respect?

Colour is matter, light and space all at once. This project enables me to manipulate colourfulness in the given architectural space. For example, when a coat of paint shines on a ceiling, it reflects the incoming light and illumines the space. The house thus becomes a walkable painting.

You’ve been teaching at ZHdK since 2016. Has your students’ relationship with materials changed during this time?

Initially, many students used acrylics without knowing that they are plastics. Today, they’re interested in exploring a wide variety of possibilities and are increasingly eager to understand what colours are made of. This goes so far that they have begun making their own pigments from soil or stones, in order to rub colour onto surfaces. It’s quite possible that enjoying the haptic dimension of painting counterbalances digitalization.

What do you want to teach students?

It’s important to develop their awareness of materials. For example, they should know what linseed oil is, how it behaves when painted, and that it dries thanks to oxidation and polymerization. This kind of knowledge influences their artistic practice. Today, a huge range of industrially produced painting utensils is available. As with edibles, they include many convenience products, which we can make ourselves, quite easily and cheaply. I’d like to make students critical consumers.


VERA MARKE
Vera Marke teaches at the Department of Fine Arts. Her artistic practice explores materiality, based on which she develops concepts for her painting.


LEA INGBER
Lea Ingber co-leads the Content and PR team at ZHdK University Communications.

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