Area 3
Herne/Recklinghausen
M+M - Firedamp Explosion
M+M is a team of two artists from Munich who combine art and film. They focus on surround installations of films whose narrative fragments are not set in any
particular chronological order, but are nevertheless woven together.
Four semi-transparent screens create a square space for visitors to watch
the projection, while moving freely around the room within the digestion tank which is sourrounded by the mosaic art of Silke Wagner. A large portion of the
film shown was produced in the Ruhr region. Its title,
Schlagende Wetter (Firedamp Explosion), refers to a mining term, which
describes the explosive reaction that occurs when methane gas in a mine
is exposed to air. At the same time, the film uses the term as a metaphor for
tense human interaction.
The plot centers on a multi-generational family in the Ruhr region, whose
members live together and are facing various interpersonal pressures.
While the social and emotional turbulence of the present day are manifested
in the parents, the grandfather seems to be stuck in the past, when
mining was still a powerful industry; in the meantime, the son is searching
for an identity that will serve him in the future.