**120 copies** Die Tödliche Doris was born out of West Berlin’s lively post-punk community in the early ‘80s. Along with Einstürzende Neubauten, Malaria, Sprung Aus Den Wolken and Frieder Butzmann, Die Tödliche Doris ranks amongst the Geniale Dilletanten – which roughly translates as “ingenious dilettantes” – who sought to democratize cultural productions beyond the grip of both Western capitalism and GDR socialism. The Geniale Dilletanten became synonymous with a free-for-all approach to music, film, painting and performance where participants encouraged raw expression through provocation and experimentation. Wolfgang Müller and Nikolaus Utermöhlen founded Die Tödliche Doris in 1980, presenting the public persona of Doris as a constantly shifting entity that deliberately engaged the contradictions of the human condition. The band often referenced themselves in the third person singular, alluding to Doris as a fully-formed female character with explosive, colorful emotions.
This artist book (92 pages, 48 illustrations) contains the digitalized Super-8-Film Kulisse by Nikolaus Utermöhlen and Wolfgang Müller, Germany, 1984, 54 min., DVD. The book is in a tote bag, designed and signed by Tabea Blumenschein.
"Costumes and clothing were extremely important for Die Tödliche Doris. Because without clothing Doris would have been absolutely unperceivable. One could even say she has her clothes alone to thank for her existence. Doris doesn’t have a body, much less an identity. That is to say, she has less than absolutely nothing. Doris presence can solely be felt through her clothing.” - Wolfgang Müller