The Stuttgart artist Clemens Schneider decides on an artistic reorientation after completing an apprenticeship in stone sculpting and subsequent studies in painting: He turns to paper. Schneider quickly realizes that the paper he needs to realize his ideas does not exist on the market. The artist, who has been interested in mechanical processes and technology since childhood, eventually resorts to an old craft. Using a specially developed process and self-built devices made from recycled materials, he produces so-called rag paper. For this, he collects used jeans and T-shirts from his circle of friends and processes the old clothes into a pulp, which he then spreads on a windbreak net and installs contact microphones. Once dried and rolled onto a roller, his sounding paper is created.

In 2023, we were able to acquire the large-scale work "Abundance" by Clemens Schneider for our Graphic Collection. The work addresses our throwaway society, which lives in abundance, where production and disposal, as well as construction and destruction, take place. In addition to blue jeans and white T-shirts, the artist incorporates the noise from a construction site in Stuttgart into "Abundance," which he technically transforms into a meditative sound. Through the process of papermaking with recycled materials, Schneider highlights the original quality of art as a craft, which is increasingly fading into the background in times of Artificial Intelligence.

The work "Abundance," which was first shown in 2022 at the project space of the Kunstverein Wagenhalle , is now on display in the exhibition "Abundance. Sounding Paper by Clemens Schneider" in the Graphic Cabinet. The expansive installation engages in a physical and acoustic dialogue with the audience, allowing for an immersive experience.