Video screenshots, video installation "Rauschen", 2024


Rauschen(2024)

Before entering the installation, visitors are equipped with headphones that synchronize with the video they approach, immersing them in an intimate auditory experience.

The video installation „Rauschen“(2024, Translate as „Noises“), from the series „Spectators“, comprises multiple portrait-oriented videos displayed on monitors scattered throughout the space. Viewers navigate through the installation, experiencing the films both individually and collectively, forming a chorus-like landscape.

These videos are derived from mobile phone recordings capturing public executions in Iran, documented by spectators and disseminated across social media platforms and the internet. The inherent violence within the footage distorts both image and sound, leaving only elements deemed presentable—trees, poles, fragments of sky, and silhouettes. Upon enlargement, the footage becomes pixelated, imparting a sense of damage and blending the depicted scenes with technical imperfections.

Through the video installation „Rauschen“, the focus of the narrative shifts from the exterior portrayal of violence in the video material to an exploration of its internal dimensions. In doing so, the installation invites contemplation on themes of grief, empathy, dignity, and sensitivity.

Text: Laetitia Eskens

Video Installation "Rauschen", Exhibition Documentation, Academy of Fine Arts Mainz, 2024