Some curious visitors have already discovered the little colourful pictures tagged to the entry door of the theatre hall. They evoke astonishment, surprise, interest – and on most of the faces a little smile. Reinhard Kuchenmüller, the creator of these mini-masterpieces, explains what is behind the idea of visual recording.

Mister Kuchenmüller, most people haven´t heard of visual recording yet. How would you describe what you´re doing here at the World Resources Forum?

Kuchenmüller: During the workshops and speeches I paint live and simultaneously. The outcome is little paintings, which are accompanied by an important statement or aspect in written form. We call that visual language. The important thing about these pictures is that they do not just reflect the content of the single sessions, but also the specific atmosphere.

How many of these pictures do you create during a session?

Kuchenmüller: That totally depends on how many inputs the session offers. It takes me about 2 minutes to create one picture. Per day, I usually produce 60 to 80.

What happens with the pictures after such conferences?

Kuchenmüller: There are many different ways of using them afterwards. Sometimes they are assembled in little books or grouped together with written records. Others are published in brochures, company magazines or on the Internet.

What is the advantage of visual recording as opposed to the classical written journal or transcript?

Kuchenmüller: You have the chance to emotionalise. And in addition, people remember the issues a lot better when they are captured in a picture. So the visual recording constitutes a very sustainable way of covering a conference.

You have been working in this domain for 12 years now. What do you, personally, like about the visual recording?

Kuchenmüller: I like the human touch of it. And it is a very interactive thing, especially when you´re covering discussions, which I like the most. It´s amazing when different perspectives and arguments come up and I can visualise what is evolving from the debates and arising between the people.

And what is the biggest challenge?

Kuchenmüller: Well, the biggest challenge is probably to apply the right type of humour to every venue. A humour that is appropriate for the specific event.

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