Transmedia exhibition,
Sint-Lukas Brussel, 17–06–2012

↵ Presentation of a two channel video installation Sympathy, an animation installation Visual Journey, a small scale interactive installation Switch On and Off and a book Recipe of Visual Memory.

Sympathy

Sympathy is a two channel video installation projected at 90 degrees.

One video channel consists of a drawn animation, which narrates visuals of the treatment of a sick calf. The main visual character is a standing calf who's rumen is bloated by the build up of a gas. The treatment is done by a woman. She does all the treatment procedures, including massaging the animal's body, the feeding of medicines and other liquids, placing a tube inside the rumen and finally opening the rumen by sticking a knife in it. In the last scene the head of the calf turns into the head of a human. The narrative is based on a real description of treatment, but it includes fictional elements, which are mixed with real actions, therefore, the uninformed spectator can't distinguish reality from fiction. The environment of the animation consists of a static calf and minimal movements by the woman, excluding any unnecessary elements and background landscape.

The second video channel consists of stop motion footage, also looped. The recorded material is a documentation of a real event which was recorded in the Latvian countryside. It shows a short sequence of the event which documents the last movement of a calf when it's throat is cut.

Both channels create the notion of immobility in a calf. A dying calf is moved with stop motion technique and a sick calf by the treatment of a person.

Sympathy talks about the relationship between animals and humans. The work shows a deep emotional contradiction between loving an animal and then slaughtering it. It can also suggest a discussion about the everyday collision between love and death.

Visual journey

Visual Journey is an optical illusion installation. It is made by projecting a looped video onto a foil surface. The projection is a motion graphic animation which consists of black and white graphic shapes and lines, animated within a circle.

Installation makes an immersion into imaginary illusions which creates a hallucinative experience. The result is experienced in the minds of the viewers.

Switch On and Off

Switch On and Off is a small scale interactive installation which consists of one light switch and a looped animations projected on a small screen. The objects are installed in a corner on separate walls.

To experience this installation, the audience needs to interact with the light switch. Each time the audience turns the switch on, a short animation appears on the screen. Interaction of work makes a comparison between spectators finger and animated finger. Experience of this work suggests the power of an ordinary action and overturned meaning of a regular switch, which is transformed and confused.

Recipe of Visual Memory

Recipe of Visual Memory is a book that visualizes a set of 25 diverse recipes, all of which come from memories of the author. All 25 recipes are very simple and quick to prepare. The style of the book is minimalistic and emphasizes the visual aesthetic of the ingredients. Shaped in the form of a sphere, ingredients for each recipe are placed from top to bottom, and each recipe is presented on a separate page. The size of each sphere corresponds to the appropriate quantity of ingredient that is referred to. There are brief preparation descriptions at the end of the book.
The small shift in visual representation emphasizes another experience of cooking. The visual aesthetics of the ingredients suggest a notion of cooking that is an experience of both visual and haptic senses. It is based on visual memory and feeling.

This book is meant for people who memorize by visualizing and those who want to challenge their imagination.