Abstract Violence (2016)

Images of war and migration are mainly based on the images that are being circulated in mainstream and social media. Although these violent and often manipulative images form an important element of public opinion concerning migration flux and war, they are definitely not direct representations of reality. How to represent reality? Can we even talk about reality in our time of image culture?

Abstract Violence investigates the image of current war and migration from its first origin; destroyed Syrian cities and leftover objects. I question the impossibility in representation of violent images and how we interpret them. This project uses real footage that I shot in Syria during the recent war. I wanted to produce an abstract space with 3D scanned-rendered objects that I collected from ruined houses. The replicas emphasised how these events become virtual and make us insensitive. It was impossible for me to show these objects directly because of the intensity they carry, therefore I wanted to filter these objects’ realities by making 3D scanning. To display this work, video and objects, I used a two-sided video projection, and placed the transparent sculptures under the screen to produce multi-faced realities. On one side I created an ultra-real space where you can watch the raw footage and on the other screen a virtual reality, the transparent sculptures existing under and in front of both ‘realities’.