Ursula Mumenthaler

Ursula Mumenthaler was the second artist in residence taking part in the International Artist in Residence Project based at Grange House. Her photographed Interventions dominated 'the gallery' and one large photowork was realised in-situ. A 12 page colour catalogue was produced to document Mumenthaler's residency

Untitled
Photo/installation

Dislocation
Cibachrome

Untitled
Photo/installation

Ursula Mumenthaler is a painter. Perhaps a surprising statement as the works she exhibits are in photographic form. However the photograph is only the final part of her working process. Mumenthaler chooses disused buildings (often factories) and while they are empty she goes in and paints sections of the floor and walls. She uses this technique, of concentrating her energy on a particular corner or section, in order for us to look again at the very fabric of the space. Several conditions need to prevail. The building must be private (not, in other words, a space open to the public), it must be inbetween functions (in many cases this means that it is just about to be developed, sold or taken over), it must be very light with a great deal of natural sunlight (Mumenthaler doesn't use any additional light when taking the photograph) and it must have an inherent form which Ursula Mumenthaler responds to from the start. As you can imagine the most difficult part of Mumenthaler's work process is often finding the correct space. The process of painting, often in several different perspectives and colours, takes a great deal of time. The final colour captured, by the camera, onto Ektachrome depends on the time of day (and accompanying natural daylight) at which it was taken. This, in turn, dictates the final Cibachrome which is the exhibited representation of the process which Mumenthaler refers to as "intervention". These final photographs, which give another reality to the painting in-situ, are usually large scale - a format which reflect the size and scale of the process needed to achieve them. This final image makes the viewer of Ursula Mumenthaler's work ask questions not only about process and space but also about the initial choice of building and the final selection of photograph