HANGING OUT WITH OTTO

Eduardo Kac in conversation with Otto Muehl

In June 2011, I visited Otto Muehl’s commune near Faro, Portugal, with my friend Fréderic Acquaviva, who is a renowned composer, radio producer, writer, and publisher. As is befitting Portugal’s Algarve region, one of Europe’s most popular tourist destinations, the weather was superb. At the entrance of the commune, visitors are greeted by an old sign revealing the property’s original name: “Vivenda Miradouro” (which translates roughly as “Belvedere Villa”). Looking out of Otto’s veranda, one does indeed feel at a belvedere: dense green vegetation leads to the picture-perfect blue horizon, where some of the region’s famous beaches lie. On our way from Lisbon back to Paris, we spent a few days at the commune and were hosted by Danièle Roussel, Violaine Roussies, and other members with whom we shared delicious fresh meals and lively conversation, often speaking several languages. The kids, who joined us for some of these meals, go to school locally and are therefore fluent in Portuguese, but we spoke primarily French and English, the languages shared by most of those present. German was occasionally used, mostly by Otto. Contrary to expectation, there weren’t many artworks to be seen at the commune, since most works had been transported to a secure location in Switzerland before our arrival. Perfectly understandable, considering the 2004 forest fires that remain fresh in local memory. Yet, in addition to unfinished paintings in the studio, we saw gorgeous portfolios of photographs documenting historical actions, a few prints, and recent animations based on video and photographs that Otto manipulated electronically, often conferring the images a whimsical quality. In this free and joyous environment, I sat down with Otto in his studio on June 22 and recorded the following conversation.

zvfdfht