"The way perception functions is a major aspect of our work. If one assumes that the human personality functions like a processor involved with processing information all day long, then we saw a ‘first step’as being the attempt to divert information in such a way that it would be handled by programmes not intended for it. One method of altering the information flow, for instance, is to cut away sections of information. While the origi­nal information is designed to be received as an im age-and-sound conglomeration, cut­ting it up can result in it being perceived differently. (...) Essentially, we understand deco­ding to mean breaking down information into recognizable constituents. By blending these constituents with components of other information, we create our coding of our own aiming, if possible, to contain ‘bugs’ that ought to catch short everyone, not just us. The scope of such ‘errors’ is however general enough to include possibilities such as dis­placed information, unfulfilled expectations, inconsistency in stylistic devices, or similar flaws. ”
Column One in an interview with BLACK.
Column One was founded in Berlin in 1992. Since that time, a changing line-up has wor­ked on projects like exhibitions, concerts, performances, theatre and diverse music pro­ductions. Cross-genre work has been a feature of the group’s many artistic collaborati­ons; attempts to ‘pinpoint’ its direction have ranged from industrial experimentation to ambient music. Alongside the expansive discography built up by Column One, which is headed by Rene Lamp and Robert Schalinski, the project from the outset published videotape works featuring their live acts. The visuals are primarily concerned with infor­mation decoding, i.e. with recycling, disassembling and decrypting through the usage of stylistic devices such as the sampling of audio interference or cut-up methods. Videos: BRAUNSERVER, 2000
WHITE ERRORS, 1999
FILE UNDER HOMO SAPIENS, 1999