Rolf Borzik – Notes

"When I used to paint, I was never organising emotions beyond the spontaneous moment. In fact I was encircling that field. Building moods within the dimension of time is a thrilling way to develop, which somehow has parallels with the journey of life. Experiencing a story which grows from the empty space of the imagination is so strong for me that it sharpens my powers of observation and, grotesquely, helps me to draw pictures – telling a story without preconceptions, representing a phase of experience in the past. I mean, for instance, that when you are painting or photographing you are prevented from experiencing. A naïve philosophy!"

Rolf Borzik

"I believe you have to be very modest in your choice of material, because you are committing yourself to a close friend who cannot defend themselves. This confrontation has the strongest chance when, with humility, you can doubt your own reality, even to the extent of smashing a subjective surface. I believe you are on track to excavate a strong heart, made up of a strong, simple form. I feel that staging theatre is an act of creation in which you cautiously start breathing in an empty room. Out of this silence I see an awakening of the human body, its whole organism.

What are the criteria which enable you to strip a layer of complacency and accomplishment back to the naïve core? I don’t believe that it’s knowledge, because that’s too easily linked with arrogance. Perhaps the truth lies in the pared-back start. And going back to the beginning is essential, to smash rigid norms and values. Probably this originality helps create a free space for action which makes us into either joyful or cruel children. I think when you make an effort to go back to your own beginning, you discover a reservoir which can offer a great deal. It appears as you open your eyes in the morning."

Rolf Borzik