ThemereideaofdescribingDavid Larcher is enough to make anybody feel defeatedbeforetheybegin- andit'snever taken me quite so long to get round to writing a text for a catalogue. David Larcher is a wild mixture of cryptomaniac, egomaniac, exhibitionist, freak, genius, grandson, monster, showman, philosopher, star, thinker (for the sake o f neutrality, this - incomplete - list is ordered alphabetically). His work sends some viewers rushing to the door, yet those prepared to take on his visual provocation feel infinitely enriched. Is provocation even the word1 No:hehitsusovertheheadwithreality, with media reality, with his personality, with thinking that is bizarre in the most positive sense, and with the literary figures, philosophers and other thinkers he has imbibed. He transforms his insights into metaphorical views. Certainly, it is possible to view and interpret each ofLarcher's works as separate entities, without him being present. Equally, an audience could see David Larcher without his videos, and form itsownimpression.Andifpeople weren't dubious before, they would be aftertheysawhisbeastlybehaviour. The only way o f sorting out all the distorted pictures is by experiencing the artist in person and synthesizing the works with the human being. I really have no idea if David Larcher is determinedly cultivating an image, or if hejust happens to be the way he is. On the phone he soundsjust like anyone else;he closes his letters with„a\ beast" instead o f„a ll the best". During a recent visit to Berlin, he threw himselfdown on a stone floor, called for his granny while suckinghisthumb,andthenoffheswam, on his stomach, limbs flapping wildly. I hope to coax a few words from him on that subject when he's up on the stage. Then again, he might not like this text and stay away from the interview. Allow me to address you personally: David, you are a phenomenon. Our festival has shown every tape you ever made - because the pre-selection committees weredownrightenthusiastic aboutallofthem.Giveusachancetoask you a few questions aboutyour work and yourself. Your biography is published on the Internet only very short: Born in London in 1942. His father comes from Mauritius, his mother has English/ Scottish/lrish/Norwegian roots. He studied at Cambridge and the Royal CollegeofArt. Began making experimental films in the late 1960s, and to work with video in the early 1980s. Appointed professor at the Kunsthoch­ schule für Medien, Cologne, in 1996; winnerofthe 1997InternationalAward for Video Art; lives in London. We could start the show by talking about your biography. Eetc; Granny's Is; Videov0id: Trailer