Kirsten Otzen Keck | Det Mobile Forum
The photo series “The Mobile Forum” is a further development of and inspired by my work “Starting Point 2015” (2015). Formally, in the series, I use flat two-dimensional prints and 3D model spaces, in an alternation between images of images and real objects, in an attempt to talk about the utopian.
“Starting Point 2015” is a free-standing sculpture with a screen, on which a series of photo collages, based on own photos, are projected, primarily from Athens. The audio side is recordings of conversations with tourists.
3 narrative tracks with groups of ancient statues, journalists and tourists’ conversations are crossed in a visual and auditory collage, where sender and receiver relations are mixed. “Silent” journalists are seen busy reporting in the spotlight, antique portrait statues look directly into the camera to the sound of tourists’ searching conversation about what a place they have come to and how much they understand.
In the work, I use my photos from election night, January 25, 2015 in Athens. Here, in addition to reports, one sees the world press’ massive supply of “scenographies” in the form of scenes, floodlights, cameras and cranes. In addition, there are own photos of the restoration work of the ancient sites and of the numerous demonstrations in the city.
All three can be connected with the will to be part of the story; to restore and rebuild, to keep society alive and well, based on different, and – perhaps utopian – notions of what a good society can be.
For the audio side, I interviewed tourists about what we saw around us and how much of it and what we understood based on our individual backgrounds. Sometimes people related their experiences to the cities they themselves came from, thereby forming a kind of network of cities in the narrative.
In this way, the Athens that emerged in the work became perhaps a picture of a city connected to other global cities – and a fiction about how past, future and present merge on a given night. During my work stays in various places, I myself have often been confronted with the role of the tourist and the dilemmas and difficulties surrounding defining what one sees and perceives. In Athens, on election night, it seemed like a clash between the stories “from within” and the gaze “from without,” which were present in the same place and time.
In Danish
Fotoserien “Det Mobile Forum” er en videreudvikling af- og inspireret af mit værk ”Starting Point 2015” (2015). Formelt set benytter jeg i serien flade to- dimensionelle prints og 3D modelrum, i en vekslen mellem billeder af billeder og reale objekter, i forsøg på at tale om det utopiske.
“Starting Point 2015” er en fritstående skulptur med skærm, hvorpå der projekteres en serie fotocollager, baseret på egne fotos, primært fra Athen. Lydsiden er optagelser af samtaler med turister.
3 fortællespor med grupper af antikke statuer, journalister og turisters samtaler krydses i en visuel og auditiv collage, hvor afsender og modtagerforhold blandes. “Tavse” journalister ses optaget af at rapportere i projektørlyset, antikke portræt-statuer ser direkte ind i kameraet til lyden af turisters søgende samtale om hvad det er for et sted, de er kommet til, og hvor meget de forstår.
I værket benytter jeg mine fotos fra valgaftenen, 25. januar 2015 i Athen. Her ser man, udover rapportere, verdenspres- sens massive opbud af “scenografier” i form af scener, projektører, kameraer og kraner. Derudover er der egne fotos af restaureringsarbejdet af de antikke sites og af de talrige demonstrationer i byen.
Alle tre kan man forbinde med viljen til at være del af historien; til at restaurere og genopbygge, holde samfundet istand og levende, ud fra forskellige, og – måske utopiske- forestillinger om hvad et godt samfund kan være.
Til lydsiden intereviewede jeg turister om hvad vi så omkring os, og hvor meget af det og hvad vi forstod ud fra vores individuelle baggrunde. Nogengange relaterede folk deres oplevelser til de byer, de selv kom fra, og dannede derved en slags netværk af byer i fortællingen.
På den måde blev de ́t Athen, der opstod i værket, måske et billede på en by, der er forbundet med andre globale byer- og en fiktion om hvordan fortid, fremtid og nutid smelter sammen på en given aften. Jeg har selv, under mine arbejds- ophold forskellige steder, ofte været konfronteret med turistrollen og dilemmaerne og vanskelighederne omkring det at definere hvad man ser og opfatter. I Athen syntes det på valgaftenen som et sammenstød mellem historierne “indefra” og blikket “udefra”, som var tilstede på samme sted og tid.
External link
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