Ralf Schmerberg
Ralf Schmerberg (born January 28, 1965 in Ludwigsburg ) is a German artist and filmmaker. He began his career as a self-taught photographer and has compiled a comprehensive body of work over the past 20 years. His oeuvre includes feature films, documentaries, short films, video and public media installations, social gatherings and photographic work.
Ralf Schmerberg is a member of the German Film Academy and the Directors Guild of America . He has received a Grimme Award and a Cinema for Peace Award, as well as being nominated for an Emmy. His works Wind and Under Five have been placed in the archives of the Film Department of the Museum of Modern Art in New York.
Schmerberg lives and works in Berlin.
Career
Ralf Schmerberg grew up in Korntal , a small town near Stuttgart. At the age of 17 he developed an increasing interest in the social and political. In search of an alternative, altruistic lifestyle, he dropped out of school early. Schmerberg first followed the Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and became one of his sannyasins. In 1985 he met Jiddu Krishnamurti at his last speech in Saanen. He later lived under the 17th Karmapa and his followers. There he studied the philosophies of Tibetan Buddhism .
In 1987 Schmerberg returned to Germany, where he initially worked as a fashion and advertising photographer. A career as an advertising director followed.
In the course of his career Ralf Schmerberg realized numerous works with international brands, music groups and magazines, which have received multiple awards. In addition to commissioned work for Apple , Nike , Levi's , Lufthansa , the city of Paris and the United Nations , Schmerberg also shot short film-like music videos for Pussy Riot , Chaka Khan , Die Fantastischen Vier , Die Toten Hosen and Michael Franti . He has also published numerous editorials with magazines such as 032c , Tempo, Jam and Qvest. Schmerberg's interests always went beyond pure aesthetics. He is convinced that works such as those used in advertising and the music industry convey humanistic messages, but can also protest against certain grievances.
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In 1994 Schmerberg created his first photographic series The Tribe of White Warriors . Disappointed at the 1992 Rio Conference, Schmerberg responded by highlighting the inequalities between the first and third world in this series of black and white photographs. In 1996 Schmerberg made his first film Hommage à Noir in Cameroon, for which he received a UNESCO nomination in 1997. With the aim of confronting the prejudices of its time - not least his own - the film became a visual poem, an appreciation of African culture with all its contradictions.
Schmerberg's second film was dedicated to the German language. In POEM Schmerberg visualized 19 poems by renowned poets such as Heiner Müller , Hermann Hesse and Hans Arp with actors such as u. a. Oscar winners Luise Rainer , Klaus Maria Brandauer and Herman van Veen . In 2003 the film premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival.
In 2003 Schmerberg co-founded dropping knowledge , an interactive online platform for social dialogue, which dealt with the question: “Who are we in the 21st century?”. At a time when social media was still in its infancy, dropping knowledge was a pioneer in social networking. Originally a reaction to the Iraq war, the initiative produced numerous social ad campaigns, documentaries and short films under copyleft licenses. In collaboration with artists, scientists, philosophers and activists from all over the world, dropping knowledge was brought into being to support and promote NGOs and other non-profit organizations in their work.
The movement culminated in the world's largest round table, the Table of Free Voices , which took place on September 9, 2006 on Bebelplatz in Berlin. Schmerberg spent the next three years cutting together the footage from the event for his third film, Problema . This was published in 2010 under a Creative Commons license.
In 2007 Ralf Schmerberg founded Mindpirates, a collective of visual artists, filmmakers, musicians, designers and curators, which dealt with aspects of contemporary culture, sociology and ecology. In the following years numerous exhibitions, events and films were made, including the documentary "Trouble - Teatime in Heiligendamm" at the G8 summit in Heiligendamm 2007 , which won the 2008 "Cinema for Peace Award" for "Most Valuable Documentary of the Year" was awarded. In 2012 the collective T he Lovers organized a 24-hour happening that sparked a discourse about utopias, dreams and the relationship between humans and nature. The event was documented in the exhibition Odyssey of The Lovers . The collective runs the project space The Hole Institute for Sehsuchten in Berlin-Kreuzberg.
Whether as a filmmaker, artist or activist, the camera is Ralf Schmerberg's constant companion. This has resulted in an extensive photographic oeuvre over the years. An excerpt from it was published in 2005 by Hatje Cantz Verlag under the title Dirty Dishes . The lavish handling of food in consumer societies is documented here with almost 200 photographs.
From 2014 to 2019 Schmerberg worked on a photographic and cinematographic project about India, entitled "Indarella".
In 2018, during music recordings in India between the participating musicians, the Music Ashram was launched, which was further formed in Berlin by artists, performers and musicians.
The Music Ashram is Schmerberg's heart project and an important part of his source of inspiration.
Schmerberg is currently working on his next film "Yesterway", which takes up the momentum of the current world crisis in order to question society in a mediation about our "past" lives. "Where do we want to go back?" The film uses exclusively from the filmographic-artistic archive of Schmerberg's productions. The music in the film is compiled under the direction of Tobias Feltes in connection with recordings from the Music Ashram.
From 2014 to 2019 Schmerberg worked on a photographic and cinematographic project about India, entitled "Indarella".
In 2018, during music recordings in India between the participating musicians, the Music Ashram was launched, which was further formed in Berlin by artists, performers and musicians.
The Music Ashram is Schmerberg's heart project and an important part of his source of inspiration.
Schmerberg is currently working on his next film "Yesterway", which takes up the momentum of the current world crisis in order to question society in a mediation about our "past" lives. "Where do we want to go back?" The film uses exclusively from the filmographic-artistic archive of Schmerberg's productions. The music in the film is compiled under the direction of Tobias Feltes in connection with recordings from the Music Ashram.
Filmography (selection)
- 2010 problema
- 2003 poem
- 1996 Homage to Noir
Exhibitions (selection)
- 2016 VisualLeader 2016 - Deichtorhallen , Hamburg
- 2016 An Innocent Mind Has No Fear - 032c Workshop, Berlin
- 2014 Greetings From Our Planet - Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, New York
- 2014 AugenscHmERZ - pavlov's dog , Berlin
- 2013 Death takes itself one day after the other - Mindpirates Projektraum, Berlin
- 2010 ARS Electronica Festival - ARS Electronica Center , Linz
- 2008 Whole Lotta Love - Contemporary Fine Arts, Berlin
- 2001 The Good, The Bad And The Ugly - Miauhaus Gallery, Los Angeles
- 1999 Hommage à Noir - PaceWildenstein Gallery, New York
- 1995 The White Warrior Tribe - Museum of Ethnology , Hamburg
- 1993 Views by Alexandra S. - Schirn Kunsthalle , Frankfurt am Main
Commissioned work (selection)
- 2017 Made in CNY, Apple , TBWA, Shanghai
- 2014 What Difference Does It Make ?, Red Bull Music Academy
- 2012 La Vita è Bella, Fiat , Wieden + Kennedy, Shanghai
- 2012 Russia - Land of Quattro, Audi , thjnk Berlin
- 2011 Legacy, Levi's , Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
- 2011 Holywood, Entega , DDB, Berlin
- 2010 Stromfresser / Café Final Storage / Snowman Demo, Entega , DDB, Berlin
- 2008 The house of ideas, Hornbach , home in Berlin
- 2008 Bottled Courage, Just Do It, Nike , Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
- 2002 Under Five (UNKids / AIDS PSA), United Nations Foundation , Michael Conrad & Leo Burnett, Chicago
- 2002 Anthem & Wind, Hewlett-Packard , Goodby Silverstein & Partners, San Francisco; Under Five (UN Kids / AIDS PSA), United Nations, Leo Burnett, Chicago
- 1999 The Blind Man - Ville de Paris , BL / LB Leo Burnett, Levallois
- 1998 Michael Jordan, Nike , Wieden + Kennedy, Portland
Awards (selection)
- 2016 LeadAwards, Gold in the category Mood and Fashion Photography of the Year for An Innocent Mind Has No Fear , 032c No. 30/2016
- 2012 LeadAwards, Creative Leader of the Year
- 2012 Clio Award, Silver for Levi's Legacy
- 2011 Lucerne International Film Festival, “Best Documentary” for Problema
- 2010 Cannes Lions, gold for snowman demo
- 2009 ADC Awards, Grand Prix for House of Representation
- 2008 Cinema for Peace Award, Most Valuable Documentary of the Year: Trouble - Teatime in Heiligendamm
- 2007 ADC Awards, Silver for Table of Free Voices and dropping knowledge
- 2007 LeadAwards, silver in the category WebDesign of the year
- 2007 Prix ARS Electronica, Mention in the category Digital Communities: dropping knowledge
- 2004 AICP Awards, Mention in the Editorial Category for School and Wind
- 2004 Grimme Online Prize for Poem
- 1998 German Camera Prize for Hommage à Noir
- 1997 UNESCO Awards nomination for Hommage à Noir
- 1994 Polaroid European Final Art Award
- 1990 Kodak Young Talent Award
Web links
- Literature by and about Ralf Schmerberg in the catalog of the German National Library
- Ralf Schmerberg in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Ralf Schmerberg at filmportal.de
- Website of Ralf Schmerberg
- Music Ashram
- Ralf Schmerberg on vimeo.com
- Ralf Schmerberg at trigger happy productions
- Ralf Schmerberg at @radicalmedia
- Ralf Schmerberg at Galerie Peter Herrmann
- Mindpirates eV
- dropping knowledge
literature
- Johannes Diekhans (Hrsg.): EinFach German: POEM: A film by Ralf Schmerberg. Upper secondary school, Schöningh Verlag 2006, ISBN 3-14-022318-8 .
- Ralf Schmerberg: Dirty Dishes , text (s) by Matthias Harder, foreword by Kurt Weidemann, Hatje Cantz Verlag 2005, ISBN 978-3-7757-1571-3
Individual evidence
- ^ The Guild / Members | DGA. Retrieved February 28, 2017 (English).
- ^ A b German Films: Film Info: Trouble - Teatime in Heiligendamm. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ CLAUDIUS SEIDL and RALF SCHMERBERG - This is Berlin talking and looking at this city | Mind pirates. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ Karin Stellwaag: The tribe of the white warriors. Galerie Peter Herrmann, 1994, accessed on February 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Homage to Noir. Galerie Peter Herrmann, accessed on March 1, 2017 .
- ^ Ralf Schmerberg - Homage to Noir. Galerie Peter Herrmann, accessed on August 24, 2017 .
- ↑ dropping knowledge: dropping knowledge :: Table of Free Voices. Retrieved February 28, 2017 .
- ↑ 100 questions to global society . ( tagesspiegel.de [accessed on August 24, 2017]).
- ↑ Portrait - Ralf Schmerberg. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
- ^ Ralf Schmerberg | Dirty Dishes. Hatje Cantz Verlag, accessed on March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ DEICHTORHALLEN HAMBURG: VISUALLEADER 2016. October 30, 2016, accessed on November 13, 2017 .
- ↑ Ralf Schmerberg - "TO INNOCENT MIND HAS NO FEAR" | 032c workshop . In: 032c workshop . May 27, 2016 ( 032c.com [accessed November 13, 2017]).
- ^ Greetings from our planet. Bryce Wolkowitz Gallery, accessed November 13, 2017 .
- ↑ Ralf Schmerberg: Pavlov's dog. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 4, 2017 ; accessed on November 13, 2017 (English). Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Ingeborg Wiensowski: Ralf Schmerberg: Full on the drug Berlin . In: Spiegel Online . February 12, 2013 ( spiegel.de [accessed November 13, 2017]).
- ↑ REPAIR - READY TO PULL THE LIFELINE / ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 2010. ARS ELECTRONICA FESTIVAL 2010, accessed on November 13, 2017 (American English).
- ↑ Ralf SCHMERBERG. The tribe of the white warriors. Galerie Peter Herrmann, accessed on November 13, 2017 .
- ↑ LeadAwards 2016 - winners. LEADACADEMY für Medien eV, accessed on February 28, 2017 .
- ↑ LeadAwards 2012 - winners. LEADACADEMY für Medien eV, accessed on February 28, 2017 .
- ↑ Clio Awards 2016. Accessed February 28, 2016 .
- ↑ And the Winners 2011 Are… (No longer available online.) LiFF 2011, archived from the original on August 24, 2017 ; accessed on August 24, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Press release - ENTEGA food for thought wins award in Cannes - Golden Lion for snowman demo in Berlin | ENTEGA AG. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on March 1, 2017 ; accessed on February 28, 2017 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ ADC winner gallery. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ ADC winner gallery. Retrieved March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ LeadAwards 2007 - Winner. LEADACADEMY für Medien eV, accessed on March 1, 2017 .
- ↑ AICP Awards | Year 2004. From the Archives of the AICP Awards, accessed February 28, 2017 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Schmerberg, Ralf |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | German artist, filmmaker and producer |
| DATE OF BIRTH | January 28, 1965 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Korntal near Stuttgart |