Lenn Blaschke Media Artist

WORKS

NO MATCHES (2022)

Confessional chair (wood, metal, paint, fabric), 2 anal plugs, 2 standards (3D-print, metal, wood, paint, digital print), 7 3D-printed bodybuilder, pink candles, pink pills packs with pink pill and leaflet, VR-Installation (HTC Vive pro, 7min) with painted floor, pink and blue balloons, fabrics

The world is not an equal playing field; it is heavily skewed towards the male population. This is not just an observation but a harsh reality that is deeply ingrained in our society. However, to the dismay of many, various online communities from the Manosphere are fighting to maintain this imbalance. From Incels to MGTOW, Christian nationalists to trolls and the New Right, they all have one thing in common – a staunch antifeminist and LGBTQI+ phobic agenda.

But what are these groups truly fighting for? They aim to establish a binary social order where men are deemed “masculine,” and women are relegated to being “feminine.” In this new world order, female sexuality would be treated as a resource to be controlled by men through hegemonic masculinity. The implications of such a worldview are staggering, and the damage it can cause to society is incalculable.

As dating apps continue to abandon these young men, more and more are being radicalized in internet forums. These communities serve as breeding grounds for dangerous ideologies that motivate members to commit suicide or call for sexual terrorism. This is a crisis that cannot be ignored.

It is in this context that the “NO MATCHES” exhibition has been curated. This exhibition showcases the various phenomena of these movements through installations, objects, and virtual reality. Through these mediums, the exhibition aims to comment on the dangers of these groups and their ideologies, highlighting the urgent need for society to take action against them.

In conclusion, the Manosphere and its various offshoots represent a significant threat to the progress that has been made in promoting equality and social justice. The “NO MATCHES” exhibition serves as a wake-up call to the dangers of these groups and their beliefs, reminding us that we cannot afford to be complacent in the fight for a fair and just society.

The decision to host the “NO MATCHES” exhibition in a church may seem unusual at first glance, but upon closer examination, it becomes clear why this was an appropriate venue. The church has long been a symbol of power and influence, and its role in shaping societal attitudes and beliefs cannot be underestimated. By holding this exhibition in a church, the organizers are making a bold statement about the need for religious institutions to confront issues of gender inequality and discrimination.

Finally, by holding the exhibition in a church, the organizers are creating a space for dialogue and reflection. The church has long been a place where people come together to discuss important issues and seek guidance and support. By using this space to showcase the dangers of the Manosphere, the organizers are providing a platform for meaningful conversations and challenging the status quo. In doing so, they are opening up new possibilities for building a more just and equitable society.

THIS IS FAKE
RESIDENCY I (2020)

4-virtual-reality-installations (HTC Vive, 30min), 6-channel-video-installation (1min loop), metal constructions, printed clothes, old bricks, 6 tons sand, Internet cafe (photo and interview archive), curtains, slide, chairs, table, server closet

The exhibition “What do you see when you close your eyes?” developed within the framework of THIS IS FAKE – RESIDENCY I, consists of four related virtual reality works, spatial installations, objects, and an archive. The starting point was several questions related to the central concept of “remembrance,” arising in the context of virtual reality, digitization, and the actual reality of a city like Zeitz in Saxony-Anhalt. Personal narratives of East German identity, German unity, and post-reunification times are merged with topics of internet culture, such as online identities and avatarism, using techniques such as immersion, embodiment, and digital capture. Together, these works form a multimedia composition with a total duration of approximately 45 minutes.

Artist: Farina Hamann, Leon Galli, Lenn Blaschke, Julie Hart 
Special Thanks: Lukas Rosenkranz, Paul Maisel, Birgit & Mathias Mahnke, THIS IS FAKE
Sponsors: Silbitz Group Zeitz, Illusion Walk, Metallbau Will, Roland Staudte, Stadt Zeitz, Plusnull e.V.

CANDY WORLD (2019)

Virtual reality installation (HTC Vive Pro, 7min), wooden floor, foil balloons (CANDY WORLD), giant balloons

The Internet has become a battleground for conflicting cultures, where subcultures on image boards such as 4chan and 8chan publish content that promotes violence and hatred towards specific groups. These subcultures operate under the veil of anonymity, using the pseudonym ANONYMOUS to hide their identity.

What began as trolling, or the practice of posting deliberately offensive or provocative content, has now evolved into a dangerous reality. The aggressive mobs and amok runs that have resulted from these online interactions have had a devastating impact on individuals and communities.

In response to this phenomenon, CANDY WORLD has been developed as a virtual reality installation. This installation aims to confront its audience with the harsh realities of this political phenomenon in a controlled, artificial environment. By using one of the most played video game series in the world, Candy Crush, as an inspiration, CANDY WORLD draws a parallel between the online world and the world we live in.

In the world of Candy Crush, players match colorful candies to progress through levels and achieve higher scores. Similarly, in the real world, people are constantly seeking ways to match their beliefs and ideologies with others who share the same views. However, in some cases, this matching process can become a dangerous game, leading to a proliferation of toxic ideas and behaviors.

CANDY WORLD, therefore, invites its viewers to explore the complex issues of our time and the impacts they have on society as a whole. By immersing the audience in a virtual reality environment, CANDY WORLD offers a unique opportunity to experience the consequences of these issues in a safe and controlled setting.

Art Direction & Concept: Lenn Blaschke 
Game Design: Robin Fröhlich
Character Design: Benjamin Labuhn
Character Animation: Malte Dittmann
Music: Johann Fritsche
Voices: Elena Weiß & Elisa Ueberschär
Background Voice: Philipp Nawka
Music Mastering: Konrad Fritsche
Special Thanks: Carolin Büscher, Hannah Prinz & Christoph Müller

Requiem for a dream (2019)

5-channel-video installation (10 min loop, 1920*1080), floral arrangements, framed portrait, printed cowls

The attempt at mediation has failed. The last moralist attempted to create a negotiation between various religious and ideological groups through symbolic and aesthetic appropriation, as well as their mixture. In a final desperate act, the last moralist addresses the passing spectators of the window installation posthumously with a final appeal to reason. It is the requiem of hope and at the same time, it also highlights the potential dangers of cults of personality, which can arise in situations where individuals are seen as heroic figures fighting for a cause.

Direction: Lenn Blaschke
Production: Lenn Blaschke
Costume: Kim Cordes // Klymp
Costume-concept: Kim Cordes & Lenn Blaschke
Camera: Leo Tax & Andrėja Šaltytė
Light: Arne Mross
Co-Author: Lina Hegemann
Post-Production: Lenn Blaschke
Portrait-Photographer: Ramona Schacht
Set-Photographer: Melanie Feder
Technical Support: Dr. Michael Ohme
Construction Help: Eike Egbers
Extras: Franziska Petzold, Leni Friedepohl, Frida Zack, Reinhard Mutz, Johann Fritsche, Lena Baumgarten, Jenz Dickemann, Rosa Krieger, Julie Warwel
 
Special Thanks:  Irena Mross, Carolin Büscher, Hannah Prinz, Charlie Chaplin, Die  Fliesengalerie (Christian Loth), Philippuskirche Leipzig, Hochschule für  Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig. 

The Transcendence Is Deceitful In All Dreams (2018)

Virtual Reality Installation & Mixed Media Installation (HTV Vive, screen, lamps, infinite loop), wood, fabric, metal, pond foil

The dynamic relationship between humanity and its environment is constantly evolving. As we enter the age of virtuality, we are presented with an entirely new dimension of existence. In this context, the artwork in question serves as a powerful reflection and negotiation of the possibilities of transhumanism in the virtual realm. The work challenges the viewer to confront the potential amorality of this new space, and to consider the implications of limitless possibility on our understanding of human identity.

Through a complex interplay of form and content, the artwork engages with the complexities of transhumanism, exploring the ways in which it might enable humanity to transcend its biological limitations and embrace a new form of being. However, this newfound freedom is not without its risks. As we venture deeper into the virtual realm, we must confront the potential for moral ambiguity and the dissolution of traditional notions of identity and morality.

The work invites the viewer to engage with these complex ideas and to contemplate the implications of our ever-evolving relationship with technology. Through its bold and innovative approach, it challenges us to consider the limits of our own understanding of human nature and to explore the profound possibilities of the virtual realm. In doing so, it offers a thought-provoking example of how art explore the fundamental questions of human existence in the face of rapid technological change.

Art Direction: Leon Galli & Lenn Blaschke
Game Designer: Robin Fröhlich
Coding: Lukas Rosenkranz
Sounddesign: Leon Seidl
 
Schneider: Kim Cordes
 
Narrators:
Luise Schubert
Lucas Lentes
Nils Matzka
Philip Heimke
Elena Weiss
Elisa Ueberschär

Special Thanks:
Prof. Christin Lahr
Prof. Peggy Buth
Dr. Michael Ohme
Anselm Benedikt Hötte
Dominic Korte
Eleonora Schlegel
Alistair Carmichael
Annika Schallenberg
Leon Tiemeier
Luis Kellner

www.thisisfake.team  
 
Photos: Quirin Staufer (2018): https://www.quirinstaufer.de/ 

FLATSURFERS (2020)

𝑭𝑳𝑨𝑻𝑺𝑼𝑹𝑭𝑬𝑹𝑺 is the new RENTVENTURE third person mobile game! You find yourself in a apocalyptic real estate market in which the player has to find and apartment. Slipping on the role of a student you are the dehumanized plaything of the diabolic mayor. A secret conspiracy between the major and greedy ABNB landlords/-ladys* will make your life hell. The search for accommodation becomes an absurd torture.

Leading Artist/Director: Lenn Blaschke
Senior Game-Designer & Programming: David Holy
3D-Artist: Jaka Juhant
3D-Artist: Urška Slemenšek
Concept Art: Jaka Juhant & Urška Slemenšek 
Project-Management: Lenn Blaschke
Junior Unity Operator: Lenn Blaschke
Game Concept: Lenn Blaschke
Script: Lenn Blaschke
Music: Johann Fritsche
Poster: Jaka Juhant

LITTLE BROTHER (2017)

The “Little Brother” project is an innovative, sculptural installation situated in public space that serves as a platform for a range of events. It creates unique spaces for critical reflection on and negotiation of emerging developments and requirements related to privacy and digital communication. Central to the project is a specially designed container, which employs cutting-edge technologies to secure acoustic, visual, and data-based information from unwanted surveillance. The container functions as a protected space that enables secure communication and provides an opportunity to examine and challenge the increasing visibility of our private lives. The black, reflective exterior of the container not only creates a striking visual impact but also reflects the surrounding environment and encourages the viewer to engage in a deeper, contemplative exploration of the role of art in shaping our public spaces. Through its innovative use of materials and technologies, “Little Brother” offers a thought-provoking example of how art and science can come together to address complex social and political issues.

Deutscher Sicherheitsapparat – Multiples Organversagen?! (2021)

Rechtsextreme Prepper bereiten sich auf den “Tag X” vor. Aus welchen Gründen werden Künstlerinnengruppen und Aktivistinnen durch §129 StGB – Bildung einer kriminellen Vereinigung überwacht? Nach den Polizeibehörden sollen jetzt auch die Geheimdienste die Befugnis bekommen, sich in Rechner und Smartphones einzuhacken, um Kommunikation mitzulesen. Quo vadis, Rechtsstaat?

Eine interdisziplinäre Reihe aus Vorträgen, Filmen und Workshops, u.a. mit:
Hannibal-Rechercheteam der taz, der Gesellschaft für Freiheitsrechte e.V. zur Verfassungsbeschwerde zum Einsatz von Staatstrojanern, dem Autoren-Regie-Kollektiv Rimini Protokoll über nachrichtendienstliche Arbeit und der Kunst- und Recherche Agentur Forensic Architecture, welche Informationen zusammenführt und so staatliche Desinformation aufdeckt. Vertreter*innen verschiedener Positionen aus Legislative, Exekutive, Judikative und Zivilgesellschaft debattieren, wo die Probleme des Verfassungsschutzes liegen und ob es für eine solche Institution noch Perspektive gibt.

VITA

 Photos: Ramona Schacht (2018) https://www.ramonaschacht.com/ 

CONTACT: lennblaschke[äät]posteo.de

Lenn Blaschke is an interdisciplinary media artist living and working in Leipzig. His work focuses on virtual reality, installations, games, and the digital world - The Metaverse. As an observer of the virtual world, he comments on current (political) events with multimedia conceptual art. The simultaneity and instantaneity of the different worlds, which radically question the cultural values and norms of this time, occupy a central place in his artistic practice. Artistic research and investigation are central to this. The works are often created in teams or collaboratively with other artists.

He studied media art (diploma) at the Academy of Fine Arts in Leipzig in the class for installation and spatial arts with Prof. Joachim Blank, and spent a semester abroad at the Academy of Fine Arts and Design Ljubljana. He is co-founder of the media art collective for virtual and augmented reality THIS IS FAKE, founder of Little Brother e.V. - an association for privacy, autonomy and art. His work has been shown at the Museum für bildende Künste in Leipzig, the NRW-Forum in Düsseldorf and various festivals such as DOK (Leipzig, DE), Die Digitale (Düsseldorf, DE) and ANIFILM (Librec, CZE). In 2020/21 he assisted Katharina Haverich at Radikale Töchter.

activities

● The Towers Of February – Virtual Reality Game – Creative Producing at Expanding Focus and Game Design for Philipp Wenning (Mar 2023 – Jun 2023)
● Brecht Into The Metaverse aka Virtual Architects – key-conception of “Brecht Into The Metaverse” and research and concept development of an accessible virtual theatre space for Katharina Haverich (Oct 2022 – Feb 2023)
● Diploma Media Art at the Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst Leipzig – Theory thesis “LOGGED IN – Gefangen im Netz” and Diploma Exhibition NO MATCHES (Jan 2022 – Aug 2022)
● Mothers in VR at neo.NEULAND – Dagmar Ege und Katharina Haverich über Kunst und Mutter-Sein in VR-Chat, Metaverse, @re:publica 21 (Mai 2021)
● Radikale Töchter – Assistenz of Katharina Haverich (Nov 2020 – Feb 2021)
● THIS IS FAKE – RESIDENCY I – Two month Artist Residence at Nudel in Zeitz (Mar/Apr 2020)
● Erasmus+, Academy Of Fine Arts And Design Ljubljana, Slovenien (Winter semester 2019/20)
● Undergraduate, Media Art, at Prof. Christin Lahr and Prof. Peggy Buth (2016 – 2018)
● Medien Art, Class for Installation and Spatial Arts, Prof. Joachim Blank (2018 – 2022)
● Founding member of »THIS IS FAKE«, Virtual Reality Art Collective (seit 2017)
● Editing and literary contributions »Kopfsalat – Freies Forum für Literatur und Kunst« (2012 – 2016)
● Founder of »Little Brother«, Association for Art, Privacy and Autonomy (since 2017)
● Founding member of Kopfsalat e.V. – Project room in Leipzig, DE (2015)
● Video installations and visuals for the techno collective “Tiefgang” (2010 – 2015)
● Production-Runner at “HEIL” by Dietrich Brüggemann (2014)
● Internship at Brown Sugar Films in Hamburg (2012)

exhibitions

prices

2022 “Was siehst du wenn du die Augen schließt?” Winner in the category »Zeitgeist« at the Next Reality Contest Hamburg, GER

workshops

Mai 2023 »WTF?! INTERNET?!« Medienkompetenz- und Medienbildungs-Workshop am Gymnasium Bornstedt in Potsdam, DE
Dez 2020 – Jan 2021 »Virtuelle Bandenbildung« Vierteiliger Aktionskunst-Workshop mit Katharina Haverich in VR-Chat für die Radikalen Töchter, Metaverse
Mai 2020 »Virtuelle Räume« Workshops im Rahmen eines Tutoriums zu Photogrammetrie und virtuellen Ausstellungskonzepten an der Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, DE
08 Mai 2019 »DIY Workshop: Pocket Brother – Abschirmtaschen nähen« re;publica19 in Berlin, DE
30 Nov – 02 Dez 2018 »TIF-Herbstakademie – Sind andere Welten Möglich?« Hochschule für Grafik und Buchkunst in Leipzig, DE
22 Nov 2018 »DIY Workshop: Pocket Brother – Abschirmtaschen nähen« Handstand und Moral in Leipzig, DE
20 Nov 2018 »Email-Verschlüsselung für Newbies« Handstand und Moral in Leipzig, DE
10 – 12 Feb 2017 »Film-Workshop Kamera, Licht & Ton« Landesvereinigung kulturelle Kinder- und Jugendbildung Sachsen-Anhalt e.V. in Leipzig, DE

readings

18 Jul 2019 »Time Capsule« A&O Kunsthalle in Leipzig, GER
16 Mär 2016 »Konglomerat WINTERVALL II/II« Kune in Leipzig, GER
05 Mär 2016 »Kopfsalat Release Ausgabe 11« Kopfsalat Gästeservice in Leipzig, GER
20 Feb 2016 »Kopfsalat Party III« Papagei am Beat e.V. in Minden, GER
27 Dez 2015 »ISFF Detmold Best of 2014« Kultur & Art Initiative e.V. in Detmold, GER
07 Nov 2015 »Kopfsalat Party II« Papagei am Beat e.V. in Minden, GER
22 Aug 2015 »Kopfsalat Release Ausgabe 10« Kopfsalat Gästeservice in Leipzig, GER
11 Apr 2015 »Kopfsalat Party I« Papagei am Beat e.V. in Minden, GER
03 Jul 2014 »Kopfsalat Lesung« Fringe Empire in Bielefeld, GER
18 Jun 2014 »Lesewoche der Fakultät Soziologie« Universität Bielefeld, GER
17 Mai 2014 »Lesebühne im Parkhaus« Parkhaus am Hauptbahnhof in Bielefeld, GER

miscellaneous

2018 »EMPFÄNGER UNBEKANNT« Videoarbeit für eine szenische Lesung, Regie: Luise Schubert, diverse Spielorte, DE