Interview for the UTV
on the Exhibition „Inspiration:Faludy“
with Susanna Lakner and Gábor Flórián
11 February 2002

Interviewer – An exhibition has opened here now with the title "Faludy
Inspirations". We can see very interesting pictures. What are these
actually?

Susanna Lakner – These pictures were inspired by Faludy poems, we must emphasize, that these are not illustrations, but works which were inspires by the
poems.

What is the technique of making these collected collages?

S.L– We made these pictures together. One of us selected a poem, made the
priming of it, and the other one completed the picture. We used collage/montage
technique, so we glued, tore, and different picture manipulation to create
them.

On what basis did you did you select the pictures?

S.L – Completely on impulsive and emotional bases. There were some poems, in
connection with we thought as one. I think, these pictures reflect the mood
of the poems. There are some pictures, where we felt a little bit different
to the poet. We didn’t hide these feelings, so there are a lot among these
which express the opposite of the poem itself.

How long did it take to make these pictures? The selecting of the pictures?

S.L– We started the whole project last January. This was a complete 1 year’s
continuous work, and this is not a selection, but the whole material. We
kept away from choosing which is the best, or the worst, so the weight of
this process can be felt more.

When and why did you start dealing with this artistic style?

S.L – Well, I have dealt with quite a lot of thing earlier: graphics,
painting. I’ve tried many thing, and by the middle of the 90’s I started
doing mail art, which often uses the collage technique. At the beginning I
made small postcards, which later were made into collages. The collage is
a technique which always keeps my fantasy move. So it never happened that
when I finished material and then I sat down and waited for the Muse to
inspire me again, but I collected the material of the collages. I have been
collecting them for 20 years. I have huge archives, which I continuously
use. This always keep my fantasy moving. I think, this is the most perfect
artistic medium for me.

Do you have a favorite from this collection?

S.L – Oh…. Well, yes, I do, but don’t tell which these are. Yes, there are
some where I feel, that it is a great success. Some gave us a good feeling
of completeness. You can feel that in the end.

When and why did you start dealing with this artistic style?

Gábor Flórián – Well that’s a very interesting question. I was deeply impressed by Susi’s art, and I think that is what made me deal with collages.

Have you tried yourself in other genres as well earlier?

G.F – Yes. I’ve made performances, individual graphics, photos, so this was
only the continuing of the things before. Susi’s impression made me start
doing collages.

How is this genre different from the ones you tried before?

G.F – Well, I think this is what suits our era the most. The chaotic world of
fitting and non-fitting parts.

Do you think that making collages is seen as an independent artistic
style in Hungary?

G.F – From now on, I hope yes. Of course there are precedents of it in
Hungary, and antecedents who did this on a high level but I think the way we
did it together is the first. From now on it will be art, serious art.

What was it like to work together, to create these works together?

G.F – Susi worked in Stuttgart and I worked in Budapest, then we exchanged
our work by post or by meeting each other and both of us worked alone,
continuing where the other one dropped the line and finished it after
reading the poem.

Wasn’t it hard to agree?

G.F – We didn’t have to agree, it went by itself. It wasn’t necessary to be
agreed. There were things in which we didn’t agree, and it can be seen in
the pictures, but I think it was just good for the pictures.

How understandable are the pictures for common people?

G.F – I think you just have to look at the pictures, and if you look at them
carefully more than once, then they can be understood. After all they are
about us. About our world.

I saw an interesting exhibit apart from the pictures. A box with glues
in it. Why is it here?

G.F – This is really like a werkfilm, this is the glue we used up, a part of
it. This genre needs glue, newspapers, magazines, interesting stickers. This
is the auxiliary material and the pictures are on the walls.

A dancer is going to dance as well at the opening. What is the
importance of her performance?

G.F – The dancer is Eszter Kazinczy. She saw our pictures, read the poems of
György Faludy and on the basis of this she created an independent
choreography. The line that one of us began and the other continued is ended
by Eszter. She puts the crown on it, connets it.