An Invitation to a Sensorial World
Could you introduce
yourself?
I am Asher O’Gorman, Irish, born
and raised in the UK, Vienna-based.
I have always been deeply interested
in my senses and things that can excite
them. When I was 16, my friends
and I invented the word “Poggy”, a
term for a feeling generated by materials
that more than agreeably “act
out” in a pleasing and satisfying manner.
Of course, a typical example of
this is popping bubble wrap.
Are you a different person
in your private life?
Than in my professional life? Hmmm!
I am not sure. I generally switch between
my serious, control-freak, nerdy
self and my Brit / Irish-humoured “let’s
take the piss out of everyone/everything
including myself and act like a
complete tit” self. Sometimes, it has
been known to creep into my work!
Could you describe the
atmosphere and
aesthetics of your work?
I regard the movement of the whole
world as one big choreography. The
starting question for this work was:
How can substances become sculptural?
I am curating a space in which
the details of things are elevated and
deep listening is evoked. the way of
ink ••º• is a particular invitation to a
sensorial world that will possibly trigger
some hidden desires.
What role do objects
and materials play?
Since about 2008, I have been working
with materials as collaborators.
It was an interest of mine to start to
listen on a deeper level to my immediate
environment. Since then, I stumbled
across theoreticians such as Jane
Bennet and Graham Harman, who
described the notions of OOO, object-
orientated ontology. I realised
that I was seeking a different relationship
to so-called inert beings; one that
was on a more parallel level. In this
particular work, I use chromatography
paper, floral foam and ink as cartography
materials.
Are you a collector?
Surprisingly no, I am not much of a
collector of anything. My mother is
a maker and sees the potential in every
scrap paper / material or every detailed
object discarded and found by
her on pavements, ready to be turned
into something surprising. Or “just”
archiving stuff in the most attractive
way. I am more into simplification,
which is not so easy. Hmmm! But
actually, I do own a lot of stuff, too.
Could you please describe
one moment on
stage in your performance?
I spend quite a lot of time squishing
out shiny, coloured ink that bubbles
and squelches out from foam that
appears to be firmer than it is. I’m
not entirely sure why humans enjoy
the effort of pressing out gooey or
“liquidy” substances from things, but
we do. Objects and materials hold a
lot of potential and have interesting
qualities. I am curious to see how
they move and sound. They often surprise
and seduce me.
Is it the essence
of art to make life
more beautiful?
No, not the essence of all art. That
would be kinda boring. My general
response to the off-centre state of the
world right now is to definitely not
contribute to the negative by making
more but rather to open a space to
see what’s all possible. It’s more about
stimulating different perspectives and
to cultivate a curiosity in seeing things
differently.
Events
Asher O´Gorman
the way of ink ••º• (verschoben)
Asher O´Gorman & hannsjana
Kombiticket (Abgesagt)
the way of ink ••º• und die große M.I.N.T .- Show
brut all over Vienna
brut nordwest
barrierefrei
Nordwestbahnstraße 8-10, 1200 Wien
U-Bahn: U1, U2 (Praterstern), U4 (Friedensbrücke), U6 (Dresdnerstraße) Tram: 5 (Nordwestbahnstraße) Bus: 5A (Wasnergasse)
barrierefrei
studio brut
nicht barrierefrei
Zieglergasse 25, 1070 Wien
U-Bahn: U3 (Zieglergasse), Tram: 49 (Westbahnstraße / Zieglergasse)
nicht barrierefrei
Breitenseer Lichtspiele
nicht barrierefrei
Breitenseer Straße 21, 1140 Wien
U-Bahn: U3 (Hütteldorfer Straße) Tram: 10 (Laurentius Platz), 49 (Hütteldorfer Straße)
Ladenlokal im 4. Bezirk (Theresianumgasse 35)
nicht barrierefrei
Theresianumgasse 35, 1040 Wien
U-Bahn: U1 (Taubstummengasse) Bus: 13A (Belvederegasse)
WUK performing arts
barrierefrei
Währinger Straße 59, 1090 Wien
U-Bahn: U6 (Währinger Straße / Volksoper), Tram: 40, 41, 42 (Währinger Straße / Volksoper), 5, 33 (Spitalgasse), 37, 38, 40, 41, 42 (Spitalgasse / Währinger Straße)