WHO OR WHAT IS P.R.?
First of all, P.R. is me - Paul Rittel - musician and interdisciplinary concept artist. I was born in Bonn in 1993 and now reside in Cologne, from where I plan most of my projects. I am mainly a cellist, pianist, singer, and composer. You can read more about my musical biography at www.paulrittel.de/english/about-me.
P.R. is my stage name or alter ego for all artistic projects that are directed and performed by me. P.R. as a label helps me to designate the projects that entirely meet my artistic and philosophical ideals. P.R. describes the works of art with which I can identify most, where I can process my deepest and most intimate thoughts and feelings, and which stand in the center of my (artistic) existence.
If you are not so interested in my work as P.R., but instead wish to book me as a professional musician, e.g. for an event, a theater or dance performance, a composition, lessons, or as a studio musician, please visit www.paulrittel.de.
P.R. wants to be someone who doesn’t compromise on artistic integrity. Who can be creative, completely free from external obligations and expectations. Who tries to realize everything that his inner imagination demands of him, regardless of whether it is pragmatic, lucrative, or suitable for the masses.
In his works, P.R. always strives for innovation and authenticity, in whatever form. Each piece is meant to contain a large amount of creative achievement and real personal expression. He always tries to create something new, or at least strives for this ideal. To him, energy and emotion, communication and interaction, and consciousness and freedom constitute important foundations and parameters for good works of art.
P.R. goes beyond boundaries. Sometimes as a journey of discovery, sometimes in order to experience limits, sometimes in the hope of permanently dissolving them. Personal limits, social limits, limits of convention and expectation, but also the limits between art forms. He loves interdisciplinary art, where several different artistic perspectives and approaches influence each other and often fuse together to become an eclectic whole.
P.R. never wants to stop examining himself and his own works honestly and critically, along personal, artistic, philosophical and political aspects. P.R. also doesn’t wish to be „just an artist“ who isn’t interested in anything else but art, but a significant and productive part of society. Just like the world around him influences his works, he wants to influence the world with his works.
P.R. has no fear of being political with his art and his artistic personality. He wants to communicate through his work and in his artistic persona, express ideas, and try to move people and influence events.
He also wants to reflect on a philosophical level about what he does, what his art could be good for and which role it plays in his life and in the cosmos. Without this reflection, it isn’t possible for him to be completely devoted to being an artist.
For P.R., art is a not clearly separable and indispensable part of life. It helps us dream, process things, feel, and reflect. It can be radical, combative, idealistic, yet still peaceful. It is even allowed to be, and perhaps it sometimes needs to be pointless.
So in a sense, I see this homepage also as a part of my artistic work. This is not merely supposed to be a listing of my most important biographical bullet points or my schedule, but instead become a comprehensive and lively web page.
There are sub-pages with detailed information, explanations and links to all of my PROJECTS and BANDS in which I was or am currently engaged in as P.R.; even to those which are still work-in-progress.
I'm still working on an extensive data base in which I collect all of my albums, videos, songs, lyrics and other works that have been published under the name P.R. Also, I am trying to establish a large collection of links to artists, friends and colleagues, who are associated in some way with P.R.
In the future I also want to start a blog on this page where I regularly write about new projects, and sometimes share personal, philosophical or political thoughts. Comments and discussions will be possible and even welcome there.
Of course, there are also pragmatic things such as LIVE DATES, a CONTACT FORM etc.
By the way, there is also a P.R. EMAIL NEWSLETTER which keeps readers up to date about live shows, new releases, and further P.R. news.
Have fun looking around, watching, listening, reading, following, and commenting!
P.R. - Paul Rittel
