Mein Name ist Sprache

Names overcome cultural and territorial boundaries in ways most words are unable to do. Devoid of meaning – because of incorrect pronunciation or a denial of linguistic origins–they usually have to adapt to the prevailing culture. Through processes of appropriation, reinvention and creolizing, names develop an unpredictable life of their own, which may however also possess exploratory potential in terms of linguistic diversity. Nicoline van Harskamp (*1975) is presenting a video installation in the waiting room of Oberhausen’s city hall, a place for registering matters with bureaucratic authorities, that incorporates stories about the translating of names, their cultural appropriation and absurd administrative regulations, from differing points of view. In her search for such narratives, the artist conducted in-depth interviews with people from the region, with migrants, specialists and researchers, who reported adventures concerning both their own names and those of others. The collected oral testimonies form the basis of the content, which is condensed into short monologues by interpreters of various languages. In the course of their narratives, it becomes clear that proper names are not always bound to their owners and frequently even lead an existence that is independent of them, in the form of data records that can be stored, or become characteristic features or symbols and even tools of surveillance. The individual speakers in van Harskamp’s video piece embody the story of their own names or that of others, which can reoccur in a similar form at any time in Oberhausen’s city hall and elsewhere.

Parts of the artwork were first presented as a commission by the steirischer herbst 2018 and Project Arts Centre in Dublin 2018. The complete work was produced for Ruhr Ding: Territorien 2019 on behalf of Urbane Künste Ruhr.