"Otium" ist eine klangliche und gestalterische Hommage an das gleichnamige Künstlerbuch von Franz West, erschienen 1995 anlässlich der Frankfurter Buchmesse (auf Anregung von Kasper König).

Diese einzigartige Sammlung aus Gedankensplittern und Textfragmenten, die in ihrer formalen Gestaltung bildnerisch-kompositorische Elemente sowie Einschübe von liedhafter Poesie (Gedichte) verbindet, diente dem Sänger und Komponisten Oliver Augst als Ausgangmaterial für die Vertonung dieses idiosynkratrischen Schriftwerks. Unter Mitwirkung des Musikers Rüdiger Carl und des bildenden Künstlers Heimo Zobernig entstand ein Hörspiel, das Wests Verfahrensweise der visuellen Collagetechnik aufgreift und ein Pendant in Klang entwickelt. Auch die von Heimo Zobernig konzipierte Publikation - die neben der Schallplatte mit dem Hörspiel auch ein Faksimile des Originaltextes sowie ein Booklet mit einem Text von Benedikt Ledebur beinhaltet - bedient sich Sprache als Basis künstlerischer Ausdrucksform. ***** "Otium" is a homage, in sound and design, to the artist's book of the same name by Franz West, which was published in 1995 on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair (on the suggestion of Kasper König). This unique collection of thought and text fragments, which connect, in their formal design, pictorial-compositional elements as well as song-like poetry, served as the raw material for singer and composer Oliver Augst to set this idiosyncratic piece of written work to music. An audio play was create, in collaboration with the musician Rüdiger Carl and the visual artist Heimo Zobernig, that picks up West's visual collaging technique and develops a counterpart in sound. The publication, designed by Heimo Zobernig-which also includes a facsimile of the original text, presented in English for the first time, as well as a booklet with a text by Benedikt Ledebur alongside the vinyl record-also employs language as the fundamental form of artistic expression.

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“Otium” is a sonic and creative homage to the artist's book of the same name by Franz West, published in 1995 on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair (at the suggestion of Kasper König). This unique collection of thought fragments and text fragments, which in its formal design combines pictorial-compositional elements and intersperses of song-like poetry (poems), served the singer and composer Oliver Augst as source material for the setting of this idiosyncratic work of writing. With the collaboration of musician Rüdiger Carl and visual artist Heimo Zobernig, a radio play was created that takes up West's visual collage technique and develops a counterpart in sound. The publication conceived by Heimo Zobernig - which includes a facsimile of the original text and a booklet with a text by Benedikt Ledebur in addition to the record with the radio play - also uses language as the basis for artistic expression. ***** “Otium” is a sonic and creative homage to the artist's book of the same name by Franz West, which was published in 1995 on the occasion of the Frankfurt Book Fair (at the suggestion of Kasper König). This unique collection of thought and text fragments, whose formal design combines both pictorial compositional elements and song-like poetry, served the singer and composer Oliver Augst as raw material for the setting of this idiosyncratic work of writing. In collaboration with the musician Rüdiger Carl and the visual artist Heimo Zobernig, a radio play was created that takes up West's visual collage technique and develops a sonic counterpart. The publication designed by Heimo Zobernig, which contains not only the record but also a facsimile of the original text, for the first time in English, and a booklet with a text by Benedikt Ledebur, also uses language as a fundamental form of artistic expression.