Walter Giers » Museum Ritter

Just do it!

Multimedia technology becomes art »

Walter Giers is counted among the pioneers of electronic art. His interactive objects, sound, and light installations fuse constructivism, kinetics, and light art into a distinctive, unmistakable aesthetic. In the late 1960s, Giers began arranging electronic components into purposeless works — which he called “nonsense design” and “play objects.” By 1973, the introduction of random generators brought a decisive shift: the objects could now develop a life of their own and enter into complex interactions with the audience.

The poetry of circuits »

The current survey presents over 40 works spanning four decades, offering insight into Giers’ interdisciplinary universe at the intersection of art and design, sound and technology. Visible speakers, resistors, and circuits are no longer merely functional elements, but part of the visual language. Themes such as interactive play, natural phenomena, environmental destruction, light kinetics, perception, communication, and Dadaist sound poetry are reflected across different bodies of work, revealing the remarkable breadth of his creative spectrum.

Between control and chance: the principle of interaction  »

Giers’ sculptural works, installations, and objets d’art engage the senses of sight, sound, and touch alike. They surprise, amuse, unsettle, or captivate the viewer. “Just do it!” urges the artist, inviting the audience to abandon passivity and interact with the pieces. This imperative also encapsulates his creative approach: inspiration emerges less from sudden insight than from tinkering, experimentation, and playful dialogue.

The exhibition — dive in and read more »  PDF

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Fotos /credits :

Walter Giers, Schwarze Hände, 1972 © Nachlass Walter Giers, Foto: Franz Wamhof