Visual Art

Analog Photography and darkroom practice (since 1970)

Black and white photography (classic and experimental, photograms, solarisations, color photography, conventional and experimental with infrared film photography with filters.

Experimental Polaroids SX 70 using a variety of very unorthodox methods, also exposure and manipulation outside the Polaroid camera using a squeeze roller (since 1976).

Art School from (1977-1983)
Studied graphic and design in Bremen. Did not like the snobby, arty, schiggymiggy general atmosphere. On the plus side the studies were inter-disciplinary, which meant access to all the different workshops. My professor Hermann Degkwitz was very competent teacher and a free thinker. He really appreciated and supported keen students, even if he did not like their artistic approach. I became his drawing tutor and mainly mingled with other outsider students making use of the many different workshops in an autodidactic way to try out different artistic disciplines. This was the foundation of becoming a multi-artist.

Infinite Picture Book (1985) 41 pages or pictures – a unique new concept

Instructions how to use it:
Fold right page to the left and then fold half of this page back over again to the right, thus forming a square picture, and so on. Have some endless fun with lots of new beginnings. In the beginning there was a blank page and also at the end and this is how it links up. This should be made into a short video with using the music “Flowers In The Wind” from TW – A Minor Love Affair (TW-MP3)

Nature Art (since 1987)

Nature Art is a concept I developed in 1987 on my beautiful land here at Ballybane, Ballydehob, West Cork. It is the magical alchemy of nature and art in one space and how both enhance each other and can be used for the human wellbeing. Between 1996 and 2002 many workshops and also some performances took place at the “Nature Art Centre for drumming, art and healing”.

Magic Forest in Ballybane (a Nature Art project, started in 2012, a work in progress)

A healing recreation and transformation space in West Cork, Ireland.

The Magic Forest is a beautiful 4 acre nature reserve, mainly an old sally grove, with twisted pathways and special spaces with sculptures, works of art and also a sound space, the “Ballybane Gamelan” with recycled sound objects. It is a space to spend time in and get away from human civilization to relax and connect with your body, soul, and spirit and the natural surroundings. It is a philosophical reminder that the two-legged animal called human being can have a fulfilling experience without money. It’s a healing experience to get out of our four concrete walls and the restrictions of human society and just to be and connect with our own true selves. It is also meant to be an inspiration for other people to set up similar spaces.
The Magic Forest is ultimately a healing space, a space to experience pure nature and to make contact to the ancestors who are still around as spirits and watch over us, and to honor the ancestors who need to be remembered as our life givers and guardians. In that way, we can realize that we are just a link in a chain that reaches from the past into the future.

The sound space is a space of various melodic percussion instruments for the visitor to try out to produce different sounds. It is inspired by the Gamelan music from Bali, which is an orchestral rhythmic music with a spiritual and communal purpose played on metallophones.
The various musical instruments of the Ballybane Gamelan are all made from recycled material and all need different beaters. It’s the chance to listen and to find out what sounds best, as one says ‘different strokes for different folks.
The sound space can be used by individuals and groups free of charge. When playing in a group, people have to listen to each other to relate musically so that the music created sounds pleasant and in tune with each other. Groups of more than six people should announce themselves by contacting me via www.cosmicradio.info

http://www.cosmicradio.info/magicforest.html

Mixed Media and Assemblages (since 1977)

Working with many different materials, often from urban waste disposal or the dump as a valid antithesis to expensive fancy art materials as an accepted artistic standard.

Etching (1977-1985)

Mixed media etching techniques, sometimes layered or with other added media. The thesis for the diploma in graphic and design was a book illustration for H.P.Lovecraft “At the Mountains of Madness”: 7 square non-figurative glyphic etchings printed in white on black absorbent paper, depicting the subterranean murals, the art work of a forgotten civilization, mentioned in this weird fiction book. (de facto there were 28 illustration as the 7 prints are square and can be turned in 4 ways!)

Techniques + Concepts
(NT marks the use of new techniques to my knowledge)
Drawing, painting (NT like pyro-painting), printing (NT), etching (NT), mixed media (NT), assemblages (NT), ready mades (objets trouves), sculptures from various recycled materials (NT), photography (NT), experimental Polaroids (NT), Japanese ink zen paintings, Random Nature Art Sculptures (NT), Nature Art spaces like the Magic Forest project on privately owned land being accessible to the general public on a donation basis. Donations are used for the maintenance of the Nature Art spaces (NT)

<> Sculptures <>

Experimental Pottery sculptures sometimes incorporating glass, copper and mechanical bits from clocks and watches.
Bog Oak sculptures sometimes incorporating copper, brass, glass, bone and turquoise.
Driftwood sculptures neatly assembled, sometimes painted afterwards.
Nature Art sculptures from contrasting natural materials combine with electronic circuit boards, computer boards and other found man made objects.
Random sculptures are found object placed in a random combination outside in nature which sometimes resemble a shrine. Discarded thrown away civilization junk becomes a treasure and a counter point to nature. and creates an interesting contrast. Random sculptures are surprisingly decorative and nicely absurd, especially grown in by surrounding plants and eventually being conquered by nature.

The “Magic Forest” in Ballybane, West Cork, is a living and ever changing Nature Art sculpture.
Nature Art Jewelry (“miniature sculptures”)
This jewelry is made from bog oak, yew and other wood and other natural materials like bone or stone and copper, but occasionally also electronic bits and found objects.

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DVDs :
Nature Art – a personal musical journey (film, 2004, 75 min.)
Music Performances and Sound Healing (2004, 55 min.)
World Music Improvisations (Ballydehob Jazz Festival 2007, 62 min.)
Going Back To The Beginning (a life performance by Thomas Wiegandt + Ailin Becker at the Ballydehob Social Club 2012 + Bonus material, 72 min.)
SoulScape – an intriguing 70 minute shamanic art film of a tribal multimedia performance by Thomas Wiegandt and friends at the Ballydehob Social Club in 2013,
combining poetry, ethnic music, dance and painting
Various other performances on :
https://www.youtube.com/user/ValentinDrum/videos?shelf_id=4&view=0&sort=dd�
Salam Syria fundraiser at the Ballydehob Social Club (2014) : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k05XPV6WN-g
Short Films (since 2011)
Some shown in the Schull Short Film Festival in 2015

<> Architecture <>

Various buildings from low budget to no budget, including a heptagonal studio space.