” … ‘Exactly,’ all the noblemen agreed, though they could see nothing, for there was nothing to see. “
[Excerpt from “The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen, 1837]
“Handabbeisser” (German for: “one who bites off hands“, from the term: ‘don’t bite the hand that feeds you‘) is a blog and functions as production diary, sketchbook/portfolio-notes, news page, with occasional interviews included.
It was started in 2012, originally to communicate with a group of homeless youth in Oregon during a collaborative long-term /long-distance interview /blind-photo project (“Each reflection of myself echoes a different emotion at me”).
It is deliberately written in casual language that every average person can understand and relate to, making an effort to avoid “art-lingo” that uses language as status symbol and to create diversion addressing intentionally exclusively a particularly educated audience or one that likes to appear as such. It has been since twice deleted for various reasons and occasionally restarted again.
ホテル Hotel – building a new bathroom
Vincent is remodeling some rooms and building a new bathroom. So far it is mainly a mess, he is running around, Starfish three
ホテル Hotel – Chiaki’s abortion – Part II
During the procedure I wasn’t allowed in, but right after, when Chaiki was coming round. She looked a bit groggy, but ev
ホテル Hotel – Chiaki’s abortion – Part I
Guys, I would love to show you the whole thing in one bit here, but I took over 200 shots of it, and it’s simply too muc
ホテル Hotel – ChoCho 蝶々 the usual hero pays for Chiaki
Finally the reason for Chiaki’s slightly odd behaviour the other night is out, which is: she had to have a smallish oper
ホテル Hotel – eating SUNSHINE CUPCAKES in the kitchen
Finally Chiaki showed up with a box of SHUNSHINE CUPCAKES; she just said “It’s for everyone!” and of course
ホテル Hotel – Billy standing in the kitchen
Billy is standing in the kitchen, chatting with Larry, ChoCho, Vincent and Laila. I took some photographs of his shoes, which
ホテル Hotel – Viola on the beach, Viola disappears and Fabienne’s photo on Viola’s bed
I have no idea (as ever so often) what is behind all this, but Viola has left the hotel. Of courses tenants move in and out re
ホテル Hotel – Billy after a throw-up session
Over the last days I became quite friendly with Billy, or he with me, I guess it depends how you want to look at it. He speaks
ホテル Hotel – dressing Billy
Billy, the bulimic boy got some clothes today. So far we have jeans, a shirt, a sweater and a woolly hat, as he is often cold.
ホテル Hotel – Starfish’s second-hand jacket (2016)
ホテル Hotel – Making of: Franz Josef “Billy” the bulimic
Here you see some pics of the making of Franz Josef, street name “Billy”; Billy is originally from Austria, but li
ホテル Hotel – Viola playing with her cat MiuMiu
Viola so far has been mostly just smiling when she saw me and not saying much. She seems to have some kind of job, but not par
Jan Švankmajer: “This civilization needs commercial entertainment to occupy people in their free time before they are herded back to the production process” (2016)
Jan Švankmajer interview (2016) : “… This civilization, this pragmatic, utilitarian and economic civilization doe
ホテル Hotel – contact sheet: Fabienne, reconstruction of Viola’s dead lover’s photograph
This is a contact sheet of six shots of Fabienne, Viola’s dead lover. Fabienne is real and really dead, and “Fabie
ホテル Hotel – I disgust someone with my photography – contact sheet ‘Starfish and Chiaki kissing’
Today, this is a first, I disgusted someone showing the pictures of Starfish and Chiaki making out. A lady who just opened a s
ホテル Hotel – making of Viola
And whilst Starfish and Chiaki are busy I am working on Viola.Viola is a writer and has a cat, MiuMiu. She is, for some reaso
ホテル Hotel – bathroom pictures for Pat McCrory: Starfish, ChoCho, Chiaki and Larry find an old toilet on Cooks Lane – Vol. II
The bathroom picture taking of course went further than expected, in fact I had no idea, and I’m not sure how much idea
ホテル Hotel – bathroom pictures for Pat McCrory: Starfish, ChoCho, Chiaki and Larry find an old toilet on Cooks Lane – Vol. I
Last evening Starfish found an old toilet sitting on the curb at Cooks Lane. Probably Vincent had put it out there, from the
ホテル Hotel – making a toilet
When I say “toilet”, and claim I was making one, what I mean is: a miniature toilet. (The very same appendix appli
ホテル Hotel – making a bathtub and a sink and Viola, the writer
Next I am working on a hotel bathtub, at least one bathroom sink and also Viola, who is a writer. Actual bathtubs and sinks, a
ホテル Hotel – Cooks Lane: Larry “Nekko” 猫 smoking outside
And another evening outside on Cooks Lane. Larry “Nekko” 猫 is smoking weed and wants to talk about his hat. He e
ホテル Hotel – Larry “Nekko” 猫 getting high
Larry is a guitar-player in the same band where Chiaki is lead singer, “ShinySkySituation“, so she introduced him
ホテル Hotel – Chiaki holding a snake
Last night suddenly there was a commotion in the hotel. I was in the lobby, when ChoCho and some others came in from the stree
ホテル Hotel – Cooks Lane: Chiaki, ChoCho and Starfish outside at night
Same shooting, some colour pictures: Chiaki, ChoCho and Starfish hanging out at night outside in front of the hotel, on 2nd S
ホテル Hotel – Polaroids – Cooks Lane: Chiaki, ChoCho and Starfish outside at night
Starfish got paid and got himself a fabulous jacket from Victorian Expectations (the coolest outfit store around, when it come
ホテル Hotel – Starfish outside and getting him black !EXPENSIVE® boots with red laces
Starfish borrowed Chiaki’s jacket for a photo shoot. Starfish is probably the poorest of the tenants here, still sleepin
ホテル Hotel – Chiaki smoking outside
And one more. Extremely beautiful girls get from me special treats, for example: a new jeans jacket. Chiaki grants me another
ホテル Hotel – making tiny FLUSH Cigarettes – and smoking is bad for you!
So, indeed Chiaki was holding a cigarette, in fact more than one, for that last photo shoot, and if she really inhaled or only
ホテル Hotel – Chiaki: photo shoot with Muschi
I managed to snatch Chiaki at last for a photo shoot that I tried to make look as casual and improvised as possible. She was f
ホテル Hotel – sewing tiny pants
It is somehow odd that sewing tiny pants from only a percentage of fabric needed to sew big ones takes about the same amount o
ホテル Hotel – Making Chiaki
Chiaki. I am not sure yet what she is up to, because every time I pass her she seems just to be going the opposite way, greeti
ホテル Hotel – Molly’s red silk dress with skyblue rhinestone belt (2017)
ホテル Hotel – Molly’s petticoat with pink silk ribbon (2017)
ホテル Hotel – 蝶々ChoCho and his cat
Some shots of 蝶々ChoCho … Josiane Keller “ChoCho 6” (2016) and his cat Muschi… Josiane Keller &#
ホテル Hotel – Larry’s geta (2017)
ホテル Hotel – Starfish’s geta (2017)
Brief Interlude – Sparklehorse “Dog Door”, lyrics by Tom Waits & Kathleen Brennan, images by Quay Brothers (2001)
ホテル Hotel – the Making of 蝶々ChoCho, wig, jewelry, stockings – not for kids (by the way)
Today I have been working on 蝶々 ChoCho, which is fun and tedious: making a tiny wig, tiny jewelry, and tiny, tiny stocki