INTERIVEW Karoline Ketelhake
PUBLISHED 16. FEB 2025
Isabelle Kirsch is a light and media artist from Saarbrücken. She currently holds a studio residency at KuBa – Kulturzentrum am EuroBahnhof e.V. in Saarbrücken.
In this interview, she provides insights into her working process, her artistic journey, and a small preview of what to expect in Lüdenscheid. She will be exhibiting her artwork Organismus at LICHTROUTEN.
// How do the objects in Organismus work? What technical mechanisms underlie the piece?
“Organismus” consists of several artificial bodies, through which either light sequences pulsate via a self-illuminating exoskeleton or delicate kinetic contractions pull the bodies together. The color gradients are created using digital LEDs and are inspired by the colors of the day. The kinetic body features a cable-pull system, controlled by motors, to give the object a sense of liveliness.
// What inspires you to explore the connection between natural forms – such as in the Organismus series – and technology in your projects?
In times of technologization, digitalization, and now artificial intelligence, our perception of nature is changing. Nature is being imitated and perfected with a certain inevitability. I use artificial materials and programmed techniques, merging them with natural structures to create an illusion of fiction. Whether “Organismus” is a dreamy utopia or a confrontational dystopia is for each viewer to decide for themselves.
// Where do you find your collected objects?
I gather objects in both urban and natural environments. I find places particularly interesting where nature and human influence intersect. Often, I take objects with me directly or create photographs and motion images to later incorporate into installations and animations. In “Organismus”, for example, I developed a low-resolution animation from photographs of sunsets taken during a six-month journey, which now flows through the corrugated tube.
// How long does it take from the initial idea to the finished installation?
The process from idea to actual realization often takes a long time. The presentation space is important to me, so I usually refine my ideas only once the framework is set. Depending on the scope and technology, the development of a complex installation “alongside other projects” – can take up to two years.
// You chose the medium of light early on – why?
I come from the field of digital media, photography, and video. In a collaborative project with a lighting technician, I developed a video installation. That was the starting point for me to dedicate myself to the field of light. During my Master’s and Meisterschüler studies with Daniel Hausig, I explored light and space in depth. Starting from the space itself, other sensory impressions have also become important to me.
// You describe your artworks as immersive. How do viewers immerse themselves in your work?
I create spaces for perception – the artwork becomes a space where the viewer can immerse themselves and experience visual, kinetic, or auditory impressions with different senses. The viewer can engage in an intimate dialogue with the artwork. This is also the case in “Organismus” where the sensation of liveliness is felt through proximity created by organic structures and distance imposed by the artificiality of the material.
// Do you have any advice for artists at the beginning of their artistic journey?
I still see myself at the beginning of my journey, but for now, I can share this: stay persistent, think positively, and enjoy the process. I was fortunate to start off well after my studies with a studio scholarship, and I live by the philosophy that when you invest energy into something, it will return to you in some way, directly or indirectly. I am excited to see where life takes me next.