The Windhund musicians Otto Lechner, Karl Ritter and Melissa Zielasko were accompanied by their spouses and kids, who tremendously contributed to the warm atmosphere and the creative spirit of the entire project.

And it was not just the musicians who were working hard: Hermine Ritter, a painter and Karl’s wife, used the trip into foreign lands for continuing a series of artworks she had begun on the 2004 Zimbabwe trip.

“Africa Traces” are protocols of impressions and acquaintances, banned on canvas.

http://www.hermineritter.at/aktuelles.html

The canvas was placed on the ground in public places such as markets, streets or alleys in order to capture traces of the coincidental every day events occuring there.  

Apart from sketching with pencils on paper, Hermine also used objects and materials found on site: stones, plants, soil and litter. Hermine wanted to represent the locals in a dialog with their environment and her artwork. The paintings and drawings are hence products of the environment and nature with people.

Back home in Stockerau, Hermine concensed and reworked these traces, creating a remarkable series of visual accounts of the trip.

You can view more images on Hermine’s website http://www.hermineritter.at/aktuelles.html - and we do hope that there will soon be an occasion to see the original works in an African Traces exhibition!

PS.: If you need further evidence of the Ritter’s artistic talent and passion for food, have a look at their collaboration, an audiovisual account of a peculiar breakfast ritual: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CXuOUtI1kDM