A short story English/German (unpublished)
June-August 2003
German translation Nimm das Leben in die Hand Tanya Ury and Amin Farzanefar (unpublished)
As slide reading with 37 slides from Tanya Ury’s childhood
In several of her works Tanya Ury has adopted the name of Hermè or Herme (her & me):
Hermeneurotic — a collection of works:
- Hermes Insensed 2000 – 2001 (photo series with 15 short stories)
- Building Bridges 2001 (short story)
- Between the Lines or The Three Rs 2001 (short story)
- Holding the Baby 2002 (2 photographs and short story)
- Stick Insect 2003 (short story)
- Getta Life 2003 (short story)
- Night and Day 2003 (short story)
- Hermesignet 2005 (gold ring with inscription)
- Herme 2010 (digitally processed 1950’s fashion cover)
- herlookingovermeshoulder 2011 (digitally processed 1940’s advertisement)
- hermesends 2013 (digitally processed 1940’s fashion cover)
In her written works, the author blurs the line between autobiographical and fictional reality. The question of her personal identity however, is always central. On a lighter vein Tanya Ury revivifies the Golem myth. Getta Life is the contemporary parable of a Jewish vampire.
Although largely autobiographical, this narrative is told in the 3rd person; Tanya Ury adopts the name of Hermè (her & me), thereby objectifying a personal history and lending it the flavour of the antique. Hermè’s fables are earnest, thought-provoking but sometimes also, playful. In her written works, the author blurs the line between autobiographical and fictional reality. The question of her identity however, is always central.
“Moische was a rare bird; there were not many like him around nowadays. He always wore black and he preferred old-fashioned clothes: a Homburg hat and an evening jacket with tails that he had picked up some years ago from an antique stall on the Altermarkt, the old market near the river Rhine, and which never appeared to leave his body for a change of fresh clothes. Along with his pointed red beard and long black hair, these garments lent him the appearance of a large raven or a bat, rather than the young man with a crick in his neck (developed from watching too much television or reading in bed) that he was. And so, to get himself out of the house and out of the way of his complaining mother, Moische started visiting the cinema.”
Extract from Getta Life
Tanya Ury
Presentation
2005 (31.1) Solo presentation, Montagspraxis (Monday practice), slide reading, b_books, Lübbener Strasse, Berlin (D)
2005 (20.4) Solo presentation, slide Reading with menu, Hitler Gegengift (Hitler Antidote – on his birthday) 150 m³ Largus, Ausstellungs- und Projektraum (exhibition and project space) Mozartstr. 9 Cologne (D)
2006 (25.3.) Solo presentation, Travelcookbook, slide reading of short stories with menu, Propeller, Friedrichshain, Berlin (D)
2006 (29.3.) Solo presentation, slide reading of short stories with menu for the new moon, Zagreus Projekt, Koch/Kunst/Galerie (Cookery/Art/Gallery), Berlin (D)
2009 (9.1) Solo presentation in the series “Jewish Impressions”, power point presentation with reading, 20 hours, Arkadas Theater, Bühne der Kulturen (Stages of Diverse Cultures) Cologne (D)