This work was produced at the Air Berlin Alexanderplatz residency wih support of Flanders State of The Art.
Short context
A history (tribute) is an attempt to conceive of recent political history (from 1963 onward) through cases of people who set themselves on fire as a form of protest, placing these individuals at the center of history, as it were. Constructing the passing of time and unfolding of events as happening around and through these individuals. What emerges is a timeline that — case by case — jumps from country to country, continent to continent. A timeline centered on individuals deeply intertwined with what they perceive as systems of oppression. It is a phenomenon in which many of the contradictions in how we perceive history and humanity run parallel.
For more information of the context in which this project was undertaken(Air Berlin Alexanderplatz residency) as well as the other output please click HERE
‘A history (tribute)’ Video essay
This video-essay attempts to squarely situate myself, my body, my room, my fascination and my doubts in the middle of the research I undertook. It reflects on what is utterly personal to me, but uses that to share about everything that is not me. The many stories, questions and dynamics involved in this research.
When I was working on the archive and reading cases everyday, the line between what I was reading about and the room I was sitting in began to blur sometimes. The psychological experience of my surroundings was tainted by the bodies, motivations and exclamations of those burning persons. In the dust in the corners of my room I began to see history. in the stacked pots and cutlery I experienced the presence of people no longer alive. In all these constellations in my room, even in the thick white walls itself I also experienced my own futility, my impotence. This overwhelming flood of informaion filling up my empty room is something I wanted to share. That is how the video was born. Formally, it is very inspired by the many youtube-essays I have consumed throughout my life. In this sense it is a very direct communication of information and engages very little in the formal or narrative abstraction that is often typical of video-work. I like this, very directly trying to share a complex experience that is rooted in a complex history. That is utterly bodily, direct and material.
The video will soon be uploaded to this webpage. For now I will add some screenshots.
To see more context and work produced at the residency CLICK HERE
jacob lambrecht 