Locations
2003-2004 - Baltic States
Location I, II, IIIl, IV
Abandoned houses, once occupied by resonating voices and aristocratic footsteps, are now represented by layers of heavily printed wallpaper which reveal a glimpse of past turbulent times.
A century old hotel, standing proudly at the waterfront, arrogantly overlooking the beach and fiercely withstanding all the storms of the past century, a decayed symbol of wealth for the rich.
Pyramids of the industrial revolution just uselessly stand in the way, often perceived as scars in the landscape. The deafening noises have been replaced by silence, but if you listen carefully they will tell you their story.'
Today, deserted spaces seem to be odd symbols of past time. Disconnected from the time they once belonged to, they now form a parallel world, often labelled as 'No Entry'-zones. Away from their source context, the function of public, private or institutionalized space have disappeared and replaced by a narrative space, open to more personal interpretations. In between architecture, history and archaeology, they reveal a particular point of view about the city.
Method
By using my camera as a searchlight, tracing silently the textures of these constructions of the past, new perspectives will be exposed and narrative space revealed. The images and sounds will recall places within our own memory. Each fixed moment is like a capsule of time, a reminder of a future forgotten in the past.
Location IV
The most recent location is filmed in Daugavpils, the 2nd largest town of Latvia. The city of Daugavpils - geographically close to Russia - has a strong Russian feeling. This is partly because of the high amount of Russian citizens, but the appearance of the typical blockhouse-architecture strongly influences the Soviet picture. Entering the city of Daugavpils, the river Daugava surrounded by ruins of Tsaric fortresses welcomes you. They say - and nobody exactly knows - that the tunnels of the fortress reaches the prison which is situated at the other side of the Daugava.
The center of Daugavpils is dominated by a hypermarket which seemed to be parachuted in by space-creatures. There is no connection between the Soviet architecture and the high consumer building and its citizens. Coming from a different time and place, the ugly construction looks completely bizar, but is well appreciated by most of the Daugavpilsers, besides the outdoor market they now have access to some high quality 'products'
Technique
Video: Digital
Context
"Russification of Latvia started at the end of the Second World War, when Latvia became part of the Sovjet Union. Thousands and thousands of Russians were being located in Latvia [as in all of the Baltic States] to be employed there. In a short amount of time Latvian cities were dominated by the Russians. Karosta, as the most western part of the Union strategically located at the sea, was a closed military area. Nobody could enter this 'zone' unless they were employed there. When the Russian army left in the beginning of the nineties, a chaotically period started in Karosta as well as in the rest of Latvia. As most of the people that had lived there -the so called 'leftovers' from the military Russians who were located there before- were unemployed and started to take as much as they could. Buildings were destroyed and everything of value was taken away and sold. Although this area has gotten the label 'special economic zone', the situation is much better nowadays.
Story
Besides the typical concrete housingblocks, buildings where obviously the military staff was living, give a special ambiance to this part of time. In comparison to the grey and white concrete, these houses have many colors. On the outside I find them in orange, brown and pink. The teints have gotten more intense during the time it hasn't been painted. From the inside, the most wild materials functioned as indoors decoration. Layers of heavily printed wallpaper show the taste of different owners. Especially flowers seemed to be the trend, for a long time, although each owner added his or her taste and chose a slightly different color and pattern.
During this time of year when the sun is low it leaves its strength behind in a special color, adding its recent value to the different stories that those buildings express already. I made my own story by capturing these different characters, expressed by the materials, colors and light while I was exploring one of the buildings. With my eyes I imagine stories that might have exist, but I miss the inside information which the people who've grown up here, have.."
jan 2003