Interview: Florian Nörl
Luca Curci talks with Florian Nörl during CONTEMPORARY VENICE 2019 at THE ROOM Contemporary Art Space.

Florian Nörl was born in 1989 in Bavaria, Germany. In 2010 he moved to Pilsen, Czech Republic, to study graphic design, but after one year he decided to change. In 2011 he moved to Linz, Austria, and started to study Textil.Art.Design. Since then, he lives and works in Linz. In 2015 he had the chance to spend one semester in Bilbao, Spain. In 2020 he achieved his Master and he got a scholarship for atelier for the next 5 years.

Luca Curci – What’s your background? What is the experience that has influenced your work the most?
Florian Nörl – I have always been very interested in working with fabrics and clothing. Hence my decision to study Textile.Art.Design. During my studies I was always surrounded by many fabrics and it was important to me to develop a new approach to working with textiles. Because of this research idea I developed the material “textilestone”. What is special about “textilestone” is that it is hard as stone due to special processing, but touching makes the textile character recognizable again. The surface is reminiscent of velvet.

LC – Which subject are you working on?
FN – I work on different topics, each series stands for itself. What connects them all is the use of the material “textilestone”. “Textilestone” or “Textilstein” is a specially material developed by me, which redefines the boundaries of the textile medium in the visual arts. The “textilestone” finds its place on this interface with an interaction of plastic and pictorial exploration of the textile material. Through a special process and technology, the feel is velvety and the surface reminds of “Stucco lustro” from a distance. Only by touch people can truly understand the textile material.

LC – What is your creative process like?
FN – It is a long process. After the idea, there is a design phase, where I draw a rough picture of how the later work can look like. Then I think about how I can implement this in “textilestone” and which colors are suitable.

LC – What is the most challenging part about creating your artworks?
FN – The preparation of the “textilestone” and the special processing of the surface.

LC – Where do you find your inspiration?
FN – A lot of ideas for my works are in my head for a long time. Many inspirations come from nature, the city and society.

LC – We were attracted by your last artistic production, has the artworks presented been created for the festival or as a part of preexisting works?
FN – The artoworks presented in the exhibition were preexisting ones.

LC – In which way the artwork presented in our exhibition is connected with the festival’s theme?
FN – The identity of the works remains indefinite, the titles of the works are deliberately chosen so that they are mysterious to the viewer and require a thorough interpretation.

LC – What do you think about the organization of our event?
FN – Very great organization and very friendly staff. The vernissage was a great experience.

LC – Do you think ITSLIQUID GROUP can represent an opportunity for artists?
FN – Certainly. It is a honor to exhibit in Venice.

LC – Would you suggest a collaboration with us? What do you think about our services?
FN – I would recommend it to others. The services offer what they promise.