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Soul of a City An art project by Natascha Küderli

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Soul of a City An art project by Natascha Küderli

Seeking the Soul of a City

An art project by Natascha Küderli

The key component to the make-up of this soul would be the residents, that dwell in these constructed surroundings and impact these spaces with positive or negative experiences. For Küderli, historical components play an integral part as well. „A city evolves and undergoes changes in body and soul like a living organism“, the artist explains her conceptual approach.

The soul of a city subsequently comes into sight in apparent traces visible in the public realm: Bullet holes in facades, building ruins, commemorative plaques, statues, monuments, public squares and memorial sites.

On the other hand, there are spaces, where it is not self-evident what happened or what humans experienced here, but these places are nevertheless imbued with memories and experiences. The „soul“ of a city reverberates in the realms of architecture, art and culture, politics and the economy, as well as in societal and religious structures.

Does a city
have a "Soul"?

How is the soul of a city doing?

Could it be possible to discover, describe and depict how the soul of the city is faring? How do the experiences of the past affect our present day do the experiences of a city’s population reverberate in the current soul of a city? What ramifications can still be felt today?

The art film „Munich – Soul of a City“ deals with this line of questioning, trying to encounter the city of Munich like a human being. The project unearths the history and observes the present, in an attempt to create room for discovery for the future.

What is Munich‘s true personality?

How will the project be realized?

To visually capture the soul of the city, Küderli begins by observing Munich’s history in close cooperation with tour guides and historians. In a second step, she meets with citizens living in the city today. Protagonists from different walks of life offer their take on the town in a camera interview. Every dialogue partner is given the same questions. By addressing the city as a persona with a soul in communication with the protagonists, they enter into a mutual relationship. In deliberating the questions, a dialogue between the city and its inhabitants begins. They listen to each other and take each other in

The outcome of the interaction will be presented as film- and photo collages assembled from amongst the interviews with the human protagonists and the urban locations and spaces. The art project „Munich – Soul of a City“, will be displayed in an exhibition, together with printed excerpts from the gathered interview material. Accompanying the exhibit will be a catalogue, as well as a documentary feature about the project.

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Credits

Thanks to my team and the representative protagonists

Angelika Schindel, Mirjam Medema, Dr.Ayça Beygo, Jürgen Klammt, Oliver Tataru, Dr. Martina Taubenberger, Michael Winkler, Claudia Neeser

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