Apparent infinity in the moment

Hanging from a rope on an abyss can be described without understatement as an extreme experience. Despite being secured by the rope, the danger to life is palpable, the »safe ground underfoot« is just a small crevice in the rock into which you have jammed the tip of your shoe. Your fingers clasp tiny protrusions of the barren rock with the utmost tension – a moment in which you have the feeling of being in the »here and now«. Even without climbing experience, surely everyone knows moments in life that are perceived differently from the rest: Time seems to fly by when you are intensely focused on something, or to stand still when you are enjoying unique moments of tranquillity. As part of the About a Moment project, artist Christiane Fleissner embarks on climbing tours in the Alps to experience vivid perceptions of space and time. She processes these in installations and photographic objects.

When Christiane Fleissner started climbing around 15 years ago, she immediately had the idea of translating some aspects of it into art. The multidimensionality of time, which she had previously investigated in works of art, becomes tangible for her when climbing. Subjective perception of time differs – especially in a state of high concentration – from objective time. If there is such a thing as objective time. The concept of the linear progression of time seems logical to us in everyday life, where constantly looking at the clock promises orientation. But time is dependent on the individuals who experience it. Sometimes »the day passes quickly«, sometimes »agonizingly slowly«: the linear awareness of time is absent. Fleissner's aim is to depict the different layers of time and their overlaps. This is how the project About a Moment developed, for which Fleissner undertook several first ascents in the Zillergrund in Tyrol with extreme climber and mystic Darshano L. Rieser. The extraordinary climbing situation, especially in places where probably no one has ever been before, intensifies the perceptions that form the basis for Fleissner's artistic works.

The climbing tours, which last several hours and are not without danger, demand a high level of concentration, making the perception of space and time increasingly precise and complex. It is as if you are in a different, separate reality. After the tours, Fleissner uses her sensory impressions and photographic material as the basis for collages, installations and photographic sculptures that illustrate this complexity. She explores the theories of the philosopher Edmund Husserl, who described the symbiosis of time and the consciousness of an individual. In the collage Melody of the Moment I, she uses Husserl's theories to examine the relationship between experienced moments and how they are transported along when new moments are experienced, even before they are stored as memories. They reverberate. These overlapping layers of time create the illusion of a continuous flow of time for people.

The research project gave rise to new facets in the works, which are now characterized by Fleissner's »own path« through the rocky landscape. As if under a magnifying glass, she was able to follow the intense movement through the space and become more aware of her own perception through the reduced landscape, she explains. Fleissner, who is taking part in the Art.Salon artist program, compares About a Moment to working in a laboratory, which distinguishes the resulting works from earlier, theoretical collages. The artistic research project, which began in 2019, is still ongoing, with further tours planned for 2024. Once completed, the project is expected to consist of around 15 works, of which around 10 already exist.