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Arts & Communication Reading Hölderlin in an exhibition

them and stays in their memory, or a particular text image form on the level of images, signs, and sounds, such as this
like Hölderlin’s signature “Scardanelli” or a graphic image early partial draft of Hälfte des Lebens.
like Hölderlin’s notation of a Sapphic ode form. The most
famous definition of this punctual reading or seeing comes 8.4. Analytical reading
from Roland Barthes: “Aus studium interessiere ich mich From serial reading can emerge analytical reading, which
für viele Photographien, sei es, indem ich sie als Zeugnisse recognizes repetitions as structural elements and makes
politischen Geschehens aufnehme, sei es, indem ich sie als them the starting point of questions, but also orders on a
anschauliche Historienbilder schätze: denn als Angehöriger micro- as well as macro-level. In a literature exhibition, the
einer Kultur (diese Konnotation ist im Wort studium objects are often overdetermined; they themselves show
enthalten) habe ich teil an den Figuren, an den Mienen, an den such attempts at order — lists, plans, underlinings, and
Gesten, an den äußeren Formen, an den Handlungen. Das comments. Corresponding to the reading, strategies on the
zweite Element durchbricht (oder skandiert) das studium. macro level are the writing strategies on the macro level.
Diesmal bin nicht ich es, der es aufsucht (wohingegen ich In conceptualizing “Counting. Reading Hölderlin
das Feld des studium mit meinem souveränen Bewußtsein with Your Fingers,” the curatorial team combined
ausstatte), sondern das Element selbst schießt wie ein serial and analytical reading to make Hölderlin’s poem
Pfeil aus seinem Zusammenhang hervor, um mich zu Hälfte des Lebens palpable, visible, and audible. For vowels,
durchbohren. [...] Das zweite Element, welches das studium consonants, punctuation marks, nouns, adjectives, and
aus dem Gleichgewicht bringt, möchte ich daher punctum verbs, a graphic code was designed to encourage visitors
nennen; denn punctum, das bedeutet auch: Stich, kleines to make the poem sound letter by letter, sign by sign, and
Loch, kleiner Fleck, kleiner Schnitt — und Wurf der Würfel. thus have an intense literary experience — analysis and
Das punctum einer Photographie, das ist jenes Zufällige an aesthetic experience are not mutually exclusive; they can
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ihr, das mich besticht (mich aber auch verwundet, trifft).” enhance each other. Here, the poem can be experienced as
(“I am interested in many photographs out of studium, a body of sound and structure, from its individual parts, but
either by taking them in as testimonies of political events or also something like its substructure. Each element can be
by appreciating them as vivid historical images. Because as experienced individually, serially, or successively — vowels
a member of a culture (this connotation is contained in the and consonants that provide the sound and meaning of a
word studium) I participate in the figures, in the expressions, text, punctuation marks that structure it, shape the pitch of
in the gestures, in the outer forms, in the actions. The second the voice, and give us pauses to catch our breath, nouns that
element breaks through (or chants) the studium. This time map out a world, verbs that add movement, and adjectives
it is not I who seek it out (whereas I endow the field of the that ensure that we can perceive and feel that world.
studium with my sovereign consciousness), but the element
itself shoots out of its context like an arrow to pierce me. [...] 8.5. Constructive reading
The second element that unbalances the studium, I would Analytical reading can pass into constructive reading — we
therefore call punctum; for punctum, that also means stab, discover that it is we ourselves who can freely continue
small hole, small spot, small cut, and throw of the dice. The to write the text or perform it in our own way. This can
punctum of a photograph is that random thing about it that happen independently of the expectations we think
captivates me (but also wounds me, hits me).” translated into we have; we do not necessarily have to experience the
English by DeepL content of the whole in a literary exhibition and interpret
it correctly. This constructive, creative moment opens
8.3. Serial reading
literary texts to individual appropriation. It becomes
Selective reading can pass into different other forms of as evident when dealing with the beatbox as it is when
reading — it can lead to amazement, to irritated looking looking at manuscripts, most of which clearly show that
at (then it is something like auratic reading, which aims to and often how literature is made. Hölderlin presumably
imprint the object completely and thus to incorporate it at continued to work on a poem plan from June 1800 to
least in the imagination). From the amazement can then December 31, 1800, and wrote parts of the poem Hälfte
result in the more-knowing-wanting, the — so Aristotle des Lebens under the keywords “Die Rose,” “Die Schwäne,”
described it — philosophizing. As soon as we have and “Der Hirsch” (“The Rose,” “The Swans,” “The Deer”)
found an explanation, we are no longer amazed. Another in and next to the drafts of other poems: “Die Rose/holde
consequence of selective reading is serial reading — we Schwester!/Wo nehm ich, wenn es Winter ist/Die Blumen,
look for repetitions, similarities, and complementary daß ich Kränze den Himmlischen/winde?/Dann wird es
contrasts, that is, for example, the repetition of Hölderlin’s seyn, als wüßt ich nimmer von Göttlichem,/Denn von mir
“Scardanelli” signature or counterparts to the Sapphic ode sei gewichen des Lebens Geist/Wenn ich den Himmlischen

Volume 1 Issue 2 (2023) 8 https://doi.org/10.36922/ac.1467