Mathilda Augart

Blaupause dreier Generationen

An inherited doll’s house, passed down from woman to woman within the family, becomes the starting point for a filmic exploration through memories, gestures, and fragments of lived history. The 23-minute video work Blueprint of Three Generations weaves together documentary elements with projections, bodily traces, and sonic quotations. Past and present meet: real hands and projected images, the visible and that which remains unspoken between generations. The work investigates how familial heritage, both symbolic and emotional, is transmitted, reshaped, and re-emerges in new forms. The narrative begins in Dresden.

Blaupause dreier Generationen [Blueprint of Three Generations] is a four-channel video work presented as a spatial installation within a real inherited doll’s house from the 1930s. The doll’s house belonged to the artist’s grandmother and has been passed down through several generations of the family.

The miniature architecture serves not only as a symbol but as the actual vessel for the filmic content. In each of the house’s four main rooms, a separate video sequence is projected by four miniature beamers. These projections combine documentary footage, performative gestures, and layered images, including those of the artist’s family members’ hands. In this way, the interior becomes a multi-layered archive of familial memory.

Through the interplay of object, image, sound, and light, an intimate, walk-in sculpture emerges in which personal history intertwines with collective heritage, inner worlds with external perspectives. Viewers gaze into a house they cannot enter – yet one that sets something within them in motion.

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A film installation by Mathilda Augart 2025
165cm x 138cm x 58cm
Editing & Concept: Mathilda Augart
Technical support & programming: Mat Rowlands

Featuring (in image and sound):
Christoph Hahn
Pia Augart
Johanna Augart

Mathilda Augart

Soundtrack:
In einem kühlen Grunde – Dresden Harmonists
Hell schein die Sonne (Pioniere voran) – historical recor- ding
Alfred Jodo Kwak – Herman van Veen & Orchestra

Blaupause

Mathilda Augart presents a exploration of the human psyche through her body of work. Augart's artistic vision is rooted in the concept of the human being as a complex architectural structure, influenced by her childhood fascination with an ancestral doll's house. Each room within this cherished doll's house symbolized a distinct facet of her character, where she encountered a kaleidoscope of emotions and experiences.

Augart perceives this metaphorical doll's house within every individual, emphasizing the importance of self-awareness regarding our innermost selves. Within this infinite and subconscious microcosm reside dreams, desires, and neglected corners and cellars we may hesitate to explore, fearing an overwhelming interior. Augart's artistic endeavor involves visualizing this internal space to break down inherited walls, allowing for renovation and decluttering of the proverbial attic. It entails unearthing stored possessions, confronting memories—both positive and negative—parting with some, and rediscovering the beauty within.

This transformative process enables individuals to (re)discover their own strengths and inherent beauty, creating a comfortable and nurturing home within their own skin. Augart's artistic journey manifests in a towering hanging robe, measuring an six meters in height. This robe, resembling a tent, invites visitors to step inside and experience a reflection of the artist's innermost self and her life experiences.

Throughout the creative process, Augart actively engages and shares her installation concept with passing audiences, embracing the potential for change and transformation inspired by conversations with colleagues, family, and friends. These interactions intentionally influence her work, ensuring that the work truly represents a reflection of the collective experiences and feedback from the people who have influenced her life.

Augart's artistic exploration reaches new depths as she spent four weeks in a psychosomatic clinic, delving into the intricacies of her mind and body. Through this profound introspection, she navigates themes of depression, anxiety, despair, and even a longing for death. However, these darker emotions are not the sole focus of her work. Augart also highlights the creative drive, the will to live, and the delicate balance between these opposing forces. She emphasizes that these emotions are intertwined and interdependent, ultimately shaping our human experience.