Tuesday, January 26, 2010

10 Feb Natalie talks on Dead Swiss by Christian Boltanski







•Details of the work
•Medium

1. Black and white photographs

–selected from obituaries column in Swiss newspapers
–The victims were neutral and deceased
–They were anonymities

2. Metal Lamps

–shines on each photograph

3. Shelves

4. lengths of fabric which gathered around shelves


His quote 'What drives me as an artist is that I think everyone is unique, yet everyone disappears so quickly. I made a large work called The Archive of Dead Swiss (1990) and all the people in photographs in the work are dead. We hate to see the dead, yet we love them, we appreciate them. Human. That's all we can say. Everyone is unique and important
•How does the installation express the holocaust-effect?
1.Photographs
a)absence of portrait’s standard

à human is only an object, not a subject
b) The sameness face of the photographs
à neglect individuality

2. Spotlight- shines on each photograph

àcreate interrogative atmosphere and reminds people of torture

•How do his work evokes audiences a sense of identity?
•Anonymous victims
–Accompanying text in the newspapers were not shown in the installation
•How does the installation express a sense of mourning?
1.Shroud-like draperies

2.Spotlights
Shines on each photograph

à Create a sinister atmosphere of funereal



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