If I had land under my feet

The video If I had land under my feet is based on the project "400 - the image behind" (with TK1968) - an action and temporary memorial in public space, focusing on the visualisation of a statistical number: the number of people who drowned in the Mediterranean during the first few weeks of 2016 in their attempt to escape from war and destitution. This was a one-off performance that made those people who had died more tangible through the targeted presence of about 200 people in public space. The assembly, position and exit of the people was staged according to directions and filmed with two cameras. One camera was fixed at the end of the street in an upper storey apartment, giving an overview of the crowd. The second camera moved freely through the crowd and captured the individual faces of the protagonists. In this way the juxtaposition of an abstract mass versus individual became a theme. The recordings were made in black and white in order to create a form of abstraction and so concentrate the viewer´s attention on the people´s faces. At the end, the people gradually disappear as if spirited away, until all that is left is an empty street. (Lotte Schreiber)