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About Zepp-O-gramms and Skyeels Uwe Bressem, Mailartist from Wedding, finds unusual ways of Cultursponsorings. He plays with the passion of those who collect stamps. He invents completely new ways of delivery for them. Supported by his over boarding imagination the 42-year-old has even success. By WALTRAUD SCHWAB
Uwe Bressem invents characters, which could occur very well in Alice in wonderland, the miracle country: Fishpeople in the flight, exploding kaleidoscope snails, sugar thieves which fall in love with their shades, famous birds in shoes. Instead of writing them down he paints them on stamps. As air mail sendings he expects them to fly. Mail-Art that's what it is called. "A Durchgeknallter? A crazy person?", he is asked, although nothing points to it. "Enigmatist" he answers. "I have cheerful and colorful character!" Bressem is not a storyteller. The language is too slow for his fable world. Because there are not only figures, but also the according adventures. There are lost treasures, which he sketches down on his mini pictures. There are revolutionaries, which communicate with each other using messages on stamps. There are flying objects with technical finesses, which must be controlled, in order to avoid disasters. With logistic feeling Bressem must put all this together in such a way that it has hand and foot, does not fall apart, or dissolves into atoms. "It's not that simple. Try it once and paint a whole story on a few square centimeters." Mailart is a quiet attempt to communicate a message. The postal Service carries it into the world. Not without risk of loss. Once arrived, the unusual piece of mail becomes the trophy of the receiver. This art must work satisfactory in everyday life, in order to be complete. Only a cancel mark gives the mail a certificate of authentication. Heroes among the international Mailart artists, with whom Bressem has contact, were even arrested for their regime-critical, perforated pictures and had to go to prison. Clemente Padin from Uruguay for example is one. Because the clandestine, which means the sub text, the message beyond the illustrating, is what counts. In Berlin, "more precisely: in Wedding", that is where Bressem lives. "The district, in which the people know that they can build on little. Above all not on any money. "Many wear their shirt closer as their trousers. Let's just say, the shirt sits closer to their heart", Bressem corrects. The artist is a sensitive human being. He became acquainted with the poverty in the district. For ten years he run the city hall cafeteria of the district. The building is located at Leopoldplatz. There is nothing to varnish. While he formed meatballs, his thoughts deviated. Between potato salad, shreds, and cucumber vegetables he developed projects, which made him a concept artist. At night he prepared them at home in his chamber behind his kitchen. Three square meters is the size of his studio. No miracle that he makes miniatures. Because he wanted to make something pleasant for the people in the cafeteria, he asked his international Mailart-colleagues by InterNet, instead of painting stamps to draw some trading stamps for him. Those who ate at the cafeteria, got a "RabARTmarken" and could stick it into a particular booklet. When it was full, the guests got 1.60 DM in return. From the professor of the nearby technical University up to the homeless person, people enjoyed the thumbnail-sized pictures and were pleased. Fish, turtles, insects, apes, celtic symbols, hunters, collectors, a whole own universe was shown on the pictures. For the fraction of one second reality was forgotten by viewing the little squares. Today "RabARTmarken" are collector items. Bressem got a better relationship with customers in connection with his art. Only one of many attempts. The Weddinger Nomenklatura however did not appreciate his commitment. So Bressem gave up the cafeteria after ten years. Even on district levels corruption occurs. Bressem experienced it. With imposing behaviour comes one of the old local I-know-it-all politicians, who now after the election hangs around in the waiting loop, to our table, when he recognizes Uwe in the tavern. "So, an artist you became. How are things going? We must talk. I call you." With a handshake Bressem is discharged. "Babbler, a gas bag he is", says the artist. "I'm sure, he will only call if I am useful for him." He looks after the man, as he enters his car. "They talk about large projects, but they do not have visions." The 42-year-old took over the cafeteria, because he did wanted to be in contact with people. Before that he was as a young chef on the way to the culinary Olymp. In five-star hotels in London, Berlin and Geneva he worked, even for the Queen he once cooked. "You are crazy! You risk your career!", his friends said, when they heard that Bressem plans to run a cafeteria. With his stamps however Bressem nevertheless sets a asiatic friend from the hotel kitchen of The Portman Intercontinental in London a monument. "Post L'Exesleisen" is the fictitious authority, which issues Breseem's stamps. The word creation comes from the stammering colleague. "The egg slicer", egg cutter, whenever he wanted it, it sounded like "Exesleisen".
Bressem is a visionary, conqueror of the skies, an idealist. His biggest dream: "To create A society for the abolition of the force of gravity." He has a fable for everything that flies: kites, birds, airplanes. In his imagination the beautiful reaches beyond the horizon. Years before he created "the skyeel". Tubemail in the sky. A sealed architect's tube was thrown from a height of 160 meters. With three umbrellas as parachutes it floated down to earth: One with multicolored dots, one in turquois and one in red. In the tube were Mailart letters. Through the internet the invitation had gone out for a "skyeel expedition". Nearly 200 items from all over the world came. At the planned mail-dropping point Bressem's friends had to look for the architect's tube. Before the letters went back to the artists, they were marked with a boarding cancel and a special stamp was provided: "First eventmail - motorglider dropoffmail". Afterwards he developed "Zepp-O-gramm". A remote controlled Miniaturzeppelin which transported Mailart from A to B. The places and distances are not important. Important only was that it took place. Everything is a question of the passion. "One makes oneself ridiculous in a kind, because the people do not understand for a long time, what one wants." Cargolifter, the ambitious airship project in Brandenburg, gone into bankruptcy,is one of Bressem's biggest passions. It's not yet over. Beside a donation stamp for the struggled company, which he brought in circulation and which is already internationally desired by collectors, this summer the flight with the airship "Charly", which is still in the possession of Cargolifter. Mail shipped from the location in Brand over the Spreewald and back. For two years long he had worked for this moment. The event made him a star in the scene. "Nearly nobody is as mad in such a way and as I am." Since he is not a chef anymore, Bressem had several exhibitions. He sold nearly all "Artistamps". In collections in Ontario, Seattle and Moscow he is represented. This year he was a speaker the Weddinger culture summer. The children discovered the fairy tale inventor and were fascinated by him. They even wanted to make stamps. To help support the cause "the very first Weddinger art donation stamp" was invented. The slogan: "The Wedding sticks". A stamp costs one euro. The money is used for materials for the children's flying post office. "The kids starve mentally, because they do no more experience stories," Bressem says. Now stamps are developed, which are sent away with a "skyeel" from above from a house downward to the road". There is "a ground crew" and "a post office crew". In addition a document of identification was made for the children. "Official child culture representatives" they are now called. They speak in schools and youth centres about their ideas, show the teachers their phantasies, inventions and tell their own stories. The children are inspired by the confidence, the responsibility. "Now, that I am ordered to be cultural representatvive, I do not want to lose this job anymore", the 12-year-old Sofia wrote into the guest book on Beseem's home page.
"Wedding is alive - art in space"
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