The „office of useless words“ is a mobile, temporary office-installation: a table, chairs, index cards, stamps, pinboard & a potted plant. It is suited for art & poetry festivals, libraries, public events, congresses or other institutions. It is an ideal add-on for art & language events but also works as a stand-alone project in any place where people meet and pass. It works in any language.
More info & blog on my German project site “Büro für überflüssige Worte” and on Facebook.
During office hours, you can hand in words you don ́t need and don ́t want to use anymore. You will sign with date and name, stating you don ́t want to use these words again, stamping your word officially “useless”. In return you will get a surprise word you can fill with new exciting meaning. Useless words will be registered and recycled in script and sound.The results will be displayed and performed & discussed during performance hours.
The „office of useless words“ creates a space to calm down, reflect and talk about language & society. The bureaucratic process of stamping, signing & exchanging old words for new words has a magic & sometimes even therapeutical effect.
The „office of useless“ words should be active for at least one day (min. 6 hours) to ideally 3-5 days (4-6 working hours per day). It finishes off with a live poetry recycling performance.
The „office of useless words“ was originally created for Olohuone Art Festival,Turku, Finland 2015,
It has been present at Zurich liest Festival, Switzerland, Austrian Radio ORF, Open Books Festival, Frankfurt, City Library Frankfurt, Chamber of commerce, Frankfurt, Congress on Inclusion, Hamburg.
Our social and economical system constantly creates enormous amounts of trash also in language: word-shells, packaging, plastic-words, broken, crooked, fragmented and defunct words, fillers, annoying buzzwords, pretentious, pompous, bloated or just stupid words. Would our language or even our life become easier, more focussed and effective if we could get rid of this word-trash?
This is an interacive art & social project about exchanging words & reflecting about language and society
October 2018 it was a guest project at “Zurich liest” the biggest literature festival in Switzerland
Oct. 19.-22. 2016 was part of the Open Books Festival during Bookfair Frankfurt and spawned more than 100 reviews & articles all over Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Liechtenstein.
