„Monsters – etymologically, this means living beings or things that are worth displaying.“ writes Foucault in Madness and Civilisation.
Beauty and youth are highly valued in the Western world. Conversely, monsters, chimeras, and deformities populate the grotesque world of the Dead Chickens.
Beauty and ugliness have one thing in common – they are not the norm. The peculiar and the alien present a variety of possible worlds. Indeed, as is the theme of many myths and fairytales, ugliness often conceals itself underneath beauty, and vice versa. The fantastical world of the Dead Chickens resides beneath the surface of reality.
The inner worlds of the artists merge into a shared vision. Through playful searching, finding, and invention, and with the help of ever advancing (or the newest) technology and media, one can create a complex artwork. The mechanical, computer-controlled beings simulate life in an artistic, artificial world of kinetic monsters, which in this way find their way into our reality. The mechanical alienates itself by coming to life; the living alienates itself by freezing itself into an automaton. Some of the monster-machines have enormous eyes. It seems as if animate beings had been born into these monstrous, tinny bodies. They appear fragile, awkward, and vulnerable. The monsters trigger contradictory emotions in the viewer: curiosity, fascination, fright, compassion, affection. The timeless monster-machines of the Dead Chickens are a mode of expression and serve as a projection for human desires and fears, but are also a play on the absurd… they invite laughter which liberates the viewer.
Artist’s note JoHannes Heiner
Projects and Shows – A selection
The Dead Chickens were originally founded in 1983 as a punk rock band. From 1986 on, KAI and JoHannes Heiner began to create ever more comprehensive stage designs, which led to the foundation of the artist group DEAD CHICKENS.
1986
- Fashion show, “OFF LINE”, Berlin, Germany
1987
- Show, Quartier Latin, Berlin, Germany
- Fashion Show and Performance, Kampnagel,
Hamburg, Germany
1988
- Exhibition and Show, Schinkestraße, Berlin, Germany
- Video clip, Offner Kanal, Berlin, Germany
1989
- Chronometer, Exhibition, Berlin, Germany
- Nomadendorf, Mutoid Waste Company, Görlitzer Park,
Berlin, Germany.
- Starwars Shows, with Radio Subcom, Ars Electronica Linz,
Austria
- House Usher III Hommage an Ray Bradbury, Arcanoa,
Berlin, Germany.
1990
- Madhouse, Film equipment for the small television
show, Director: Knut Hofmeister (fig. 2, 6)
Show and Exhibition, Fritz Deutschland, Frankfurt/M
Germany.
Founding of the Dead Chickens Warehouse:
An „artists‘ network gallery“ on Schinkestraße in
Berlin-Neukölln, in der zahlreiche Kunstschaffende
Berlin- Neukölln, where numerous artists come
together. The Dead Chickens Warehouse is
simultaneously a gallery, a workshop, a space for art, and a performance.
(fig. 1, 4)
- Dead-Chickens-Werkschau, Berlin, Germany
Interni, Design Gallery Dilmos, Milan, Italy
1991
– Schlaraffenland, Academy of Arts at the Brandenburger Tor, Berlin
– ZOO, WMF Club, Berlin, Germany
– DEAD CHICKENS – eine Dokumödie, 16mm-BW-film from Malika Ziouech (fig. 5)
1992
– Labor für Evolutionsprognostik, UMBAU, Berlin, Germany
– Dr. Mutabor empfiehlt, Raab Galerie, Berlin, Germany (fig. 3)
– Electronic Art Syndrome, Berlin, Germany
1993
– Berlin Kosmetik, Milchhof e.V., Berlin, Germany
– We never Sleep, Tacheles, Berlin, Germany
– LEP – Labor für Evolutionsprognostik 2, Maubeuge, France (fig. 8, 10)
– Launch of the Domain www.deadchickens.de
1994
– X-Position, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Germany
– Tagediebetage, Milchhof, Berlin, Germany
– Mäuseboxen , Les inattendues de Maubeuge, France (fig. 7)
– Baila o Muere, La Fura dels Baus, Tempodrom, Berlin, Germany
– Dr. Mutabors zweiter Frühling, Raab Galerie, Berlin, Germany
– Mäuseboxen, video , 25 min., Director: Mirko Borscht
1995
– Standpunkte, Galerie Fine Art Vostell, Berlin, Germany
– Muttis Geburtstag, Exit, Creteil, Paris, France (fig. 11))
– Wohlstand, Musical contribution to the Japanese- German Noise-Compilation-CD, Human Wrechords
– Founding of Schwarzenberg e.V. & Haus Schwarzen- berg with other creative artists -cultural house, studio and exhibition spaces, communication and artists‘ network, Berlin, Germany
– Equipping of the Dead-Chickens-Artist’s club Eschschloraque, Rümschrümp, Berlin, Germany
1996
– Psycholomedo with Cornelius Perino, Frieshuis Amerika, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
1997
– Ferrocity, Machine stage design for Variete Chamäleon,
Berlin, Germany
– Psycholomedo, Show Inteatro, Polverigi, Italy (fig. 9, 16)
– Ferien mit Mutti, Bomarzo Exhibition, Italy (fig. 12, 14, 15, 17)
– Exhibition in the Museum for Young Art, Frankfurt/ Oder, Germany and exhibition in the Galeria Prowincjonalna, Słubice, Polen
1998
– On Stubnitz 1, MS Stubnitz, European Capital of Culture Stockholm, Sweden
– Monsterkabinett im Bernsteinzimmer – Opening of the permanent Dead Chickens experience exhibiton, until 2002, in Haus Schwarzenberg, Berlin, Germany (fig. 13)
1999
– Grec99 Festival d’Estiu, Barcelona, Spain
– Festivals Via, Maubeuge, F und Exit, Paris
– France Fusion, Müritzsee, Germany
2000
– Z 2000 Festival für Junge Kunst, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Germany
– The LEP files Audio & ROM CD, Academy of Arts, Berlin, Germany
2001
– On Stubnitz 2, MS Stubnitz, European Capital of Culture 2001, Rotterdam, The Netherlands
2003
– Clash of the Giants, Dead Chickens vs. Puppetmastaz, Maria am Ufer, Berlin, Germany
2004
– Chimech a mechanical creatures odysee, Presentation, Berlin, Germany (fig. 18, 19, 20, 21)
– Chimech a mechanical creatures odysee, European Capital of Culture Lille 2004, France (fig. 22)
2005
– Chimech, Oberschöneweide workshop, Berlin, Germany
– Robodock, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
– ZEIT, Machine Theater, Oberschöneweide workshop, Berlin, Germany
2006
– Robodock, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
2007
– Big Day Out, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Gold Coast,
Australia
– The Failure of Beauty-Dead Chickens in Berlin, Dead Chickens documentary film by Amaia Arana
2008
– Bally Wulff, Munich, Germany
2009
– „LEAVING SCHWEINEÖDE –THE RETURN OF THE
MONSTERS“, Dead Chickens Festival, Berlin, Germany
2010
– Opening of the Dead Chickens-Museums Monsterkabinett, Haus Schwarzenberg, Berlin, Germany
Members of the artist’s group until then:
KAI, JoHannes Heiner, Henryk Weiffenbach,
Breeda CC, Nils Peters
Photo Henryk Weiffenbach
