Paperwork

by Dario Renner

Compared with America, where one man is seen as the representative of the whole nation, you cannot represent Europe with just one person. Therefore a different symbol is needed to represent the coalition of multiple countries. This symbol can be found in architecture, more accurately in the form of the European Parliament, a place where different nations come together. This building can be understood as a symbol of Europe.

When and where does the European Parliament meet?

The EP has its seat in Strasbourg, additional plenary sessions and meetings of committees are held in Brussels. Both sites are deeply rooted in European history: Strasbourg is seen as a symbol of peace between Germany and France, which is why it was chosen as the location for the EP. In Brussels, both the EU and NATO have their headquarters. To guarantee a close working relationship with different EU-institutions, a work location can be found in Brussels. A third institutional seat is located in Luxembourg: The General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union can be found here. During our project a series of pictures of the European Parliament were created. These where created with a marker pen, a silhouette of the building was made, which resembles a paper cut. The marker has always been placed on top and was pulled down in a straight line. More pressure to the marker was applied in the beginning, which was reduced during the pulling of the line. In addition, the drawing speed was increased, so that the paper could absorb more ink at the beginning of each stroke. If you look at the back of the papers, you can see the actual drawing, which was made by a different hatching. This process is a metaphor for two different sides. A complete one, on which everything is visible and an “incomplete” one, where you can only see what you should see.