Alexandra Hopf

Skulpturenpark Schwante, 2020

The site-specific neon work “Spell Around the Corner” refers to the legend of the “Silent Frogs of Schwante”, in which a beggar once used his secret art, a magic spell, to “silence the loud frogs on the estate for 100 years”. The wizard was rewarded, however, the spell was not renewed.
Wrapped in a legend, the story reveals relationships of dependency on various levels. Once man tried to dominate nature by means of magic, today nature reflects our abuse through the use of technology and the exploitation of its resources.
The work, consisting of cryptic characters, eludes legibility. It is reminiscent of secret scripts or writings from “speculative” cultures that we have not (yet) deciphered or understood or want to, because we are used to interpreting from our subjective perspective and not thinking outside the box.
It could, however, provide an impetus for reflection that the old can be combined with the new with the potential of “shining ahead”.