Heimliche Bräute. Eheliches Glück. (2009–2020)

Backdoor Brides ›Marital Bliss‹

›Heimliche Bräute – Eheliches Glück‹ is part of the series ›Copy and Erasure‹ by Herbert Stattler. The starting point for this work was a pornographic film* on a VHS tape found at a flea market.

Using a scientific transcription technique, the artist manually transcribed the entire dialogue and all phenomena of oral communication into a book using ink. This meticulous process included every spoken sentence as well as every moan, sigh, and non-verbal utterance. Following the transcription, the spoken words were systematically deleted using ink remover.

The intervention leaves behind only the involuntary sounds of pleasure—fragmented traces such as ›Ahhh‹ and ›Uhhh.‹ Since the spoken language in this genre is often interchangeable and banal, its removal reduces the content to what is generally perceived as the essential. The accompanying sheet features a redrawn version of the original VHS tape cover.

By transforming a mass-produced pornographic script through labor-intensive manual writing and subsequent erasure, the work turns a fleeting medium into a silent, visual artifact focused on the reduction of communication.

* Original Title: Backdoor Brides »Marital Bliss« | Original Screenplay by P. D. Connors | Directed by Wolfgang Gower | German dubbed version | Paradise Visuals, 1988 | Cast: Nina Hartley, Nina De Ponca, Dana Lynn, Tiffanie Storm, Frank James, Peter North, Ray Victory, Robert Bullock