fensterausstellung
08. February 2021 - 11. April 2021
The Road to Ulm
Fenster Richtung Hirschstraße
Laurie Schwartz and the ghost town Ulm, Wyoming

The Road Ulm - Ucross. Photo: Laurie Schwartz
The Road Ulm - Ucross
Foto: Laurie Schwartz
America, ca. 1900. Technological progress sets foot on the virgin soil of Clear Creek Valley, railroad tracks are being laid. In the vast west, a little town called Ulm suddenly appears, seemingly out of thin air. It was the boom era of Sheridan County; people came in droves only to leave again – and they are still gone today. 2.500 inhabitants remained, four per square kilometre. Today, only the wind lives in the small city, the human inhabitants all gone since the sixties. Laurie Schwartz knew of Ulm, the one in Swabia, where she participated in the Festival neue Musik at the Stadthaus in 2018.
Ulm, Wyoming. Satelliten-Bild der Gegend.
Ulm, Wyoming

She discovered its ghost town twin near Ucross at the foothills of the Bighorn Mountains in March 2020 during a one-month artist residency at the prestigious Ucross Foundation in Wyoming. It was just 8 miles from Ulm, no problem, even with a single-gear bicycle. In theory. In the end, she hitched a ride in a rancher’s pick-up truck, with the way back in mind. It’s easy to get lost in the vast wilderness. Especially after dark. Alone out there on a bike? An uncomfortable thought.

 

A selection of Laurie Schwartz’ photographs will now be presented at the Stadthaus, in traditional analogue form, accompanied by a digital loop on a monitor. The photographs measure 120 by 160 centimetres and can be viewed through the windows from the Hirschstraße. The image loop is available on the Stadthaus’ YouTube channel.

Weites Steppenland, im Hintergrund Berge. Der Himmel mit grauen Wolken. Im rechten Vordergrund ein Brauner Bulle mit weißem Kopf, guckt der Fotografin entgegen. Foto: Laurie Schwartz
Foto: Laurie Schwartz

Laurie Schwartz is a composer, sound artist, and curator based in Berlin, Germany. Born in Northampton, Massachusetts (USA). she has lived in Europe since the early 80s, first in Berlin and later also for an extended period in Italy. Her works integrate field recordings, interviews, spoken text, gesture, choreography and video into the musical composition, most often in combination with amplified voices and/or instruments and electronics and, as such, they interrogate the boundaries between music composition, theater and performance art. She initiated and curates the event series ‘itinerant interludes’, which presents ‘pop-up performances’ of contemporary music at gallery openings in Berlin. Her music has been published by Academy, Esopus, Edition Zeitklang, Cantate-Musicaphon and Zeitkratzer.

Project management: Karla Nieraad with Nik Schölzel

The Road to Ulm. A digitale selection.