The days when artists primarily painted in oils chiseled marble or made finely chiseled
etchings are long gone. Today they sometimes cast sculptures out of gelatin knot the same
thread for years or paste tomato paste all over the walls. Why do they do it? And how do they
find fulfillment and meaning in numbering the leaves of a bush boiling birds' nests to a pulp
or blowing up a garden hut? The art historian and journalist Sandra Danicke asked 22
international artists about their very own materials. How does one come up with it? How does
one do it? What's the point of it all? The answers are surprising instructive sometimes
touching.Joseph Grigely from Chicago - deaf since childhood - reports on his methods of making
contact with hearing people - and how irritating wall installations result. Scotsman Simon
Starling explains how he once traveled to Ecuador to procure the balsa wood for a model
airplane Sweden's Sofia Hultén tells of her love of discarded items from the dumpster and
Daniel Turner of New York tells how he managed to liquefy a cafeteria and turn it into a stain
on the floor. It's all about alchemy craft imagination and a lot of trial and error.
