The xPlace/Space series explores the phenomenon of simultaneously experiencing multiple places and spaces through our screens. While one is physically in one place in front of their computer, they can, at the same time, virtually exist elsewhere. And in the case of the video chat, I would argue that the person could exist in a third “place” in which they are communicating with another person in real time, while neither is physically in the same space. These investigations extend beyond the social and continue into the landscape, the environmental, and the spatio-political.
Not all borders are explicit. How do we negotiate gray-areas, both physical and virtual? How does one develop an identity around the place(s) they exist and the rest of the world around them? How do people find a sense of belonging in these spaces socially and politically constructed? And who gets to decide who belongs? The ability of technology to connect geographically disparate communities, and to allow us to temporarily – if virtually - transgress border restrictions to relate and communicate, sheds light on the arbitrariness and ambiguity of rules of nationality, passage, and belonging.
The videos draw on Lev Kuleshov's theory of the Soviet Montag to juxtapose two or more (video) images and create the impression that the viewer is experiencing multiple places simultaneously. The enigmatic nature of the juxtaposition, presented without context or commentary, also inspires questions as to the meaning of those images— placed one above the other– leading viewers to imagine possible relationships between them. In this way, I imagine each video as a hybrid of multiple spaces, fused together to create a new place, of uncertain origin and meaning, that is neither of the sites depicted, and both.
Not all borders are explicit. How do we negotiate gray-areas, both physical and virtual? How does one develop an identity around the place(s) they exist and the rest of the world around them? How do people find a sense of belonging in these spaces socially and politically constructed? And who gets to decide who belongs? The ability of technology to connect geographically disparate communities, and to allow us to temporarily – if virtually - transgress border restrictions to relate and communicate, sheds light on the arbitrariness and ambiguity of rules of nationality, passage, and belonging.
The videos draw on Lev Kuleshov's theory of the Soviet Montag to juxtapose two or more (video) images and create the impression that the viewer is experiencing multiple places simultaneously. The enigmatic nature of the juxtaposition, presented without context or commentary, also inspires questions as to the meaning of those images— placed one above the other– leading viewers to imagine possible relationships between them. In this way, I imagine each video as a hybrid of multiple spaces, fused together to create a new place, of uncertain origin and meaning, that is neither of the sites depicted, and both.
008
January 2017
January 2017
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Hamburg, Germany
Public Exhibitions
10 April 2023 - Temporary Prophecy, Group Popup Art Exhibition, Haifa
22 June 2019 - SPLICE Film Festival, Brooklyn, NY
July 2018 - Rules to Play By, Snapdragon Studio, St. Louis, MO
November 2017 - Yami-Ichi Tel Aviv, The Cuckoo's Nest, Jaffa
10 April 2023 - Temporary Prophecy, Group Popup Art Exhibition, Haifa
22 June 2019 - SPLICE Film Festival, Brooklyn, NY
July 2018 - Rules to Play By, Snapdragon Studio, St. Louis, MO
November 2017 - Yami-Ichi Tel Aviv, The Cuckoo's Nest, Jaffa
007
October 2016
In this piece, one experiences the feeling of being immersed in the space by focusing more on the environment. The person represents the scale, while it is really the landscape which is the object of study. What are the similarities and differences of these places and what are our relationships to foreign places and our reflections of those spaces?
Cities along the Danube River, Serbia
Cities along the Danube River, Serbia
006
August 2016
This video is a test for experiencing different directions simultaneously. What perspectives to we gain from looking from these different viewpoints?
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel
005
August 2016
“005” takes a closer look at this juxtaposition through urban and scenic landscapes. By oscillating between multiple different videos, we see each place separately, but persistence of vision also suspends our perception so that the individual places are fused into a single space. While physically unable to be in each place at the same time, the virtual transcends these borders.
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Santa Cruz, CA, USA
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Santa Cruz, CA, USA
004
June 2016
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Santa Cruz, CA, USA
003
March 2016
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Seattle, WA, USA / Santa Cruz, CA, USA
002
February 2016
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel / Seattle, WA, USA
001
February 2016
001 starts a series of videos that investigate questions of place and space as mediated through our screens. Video chats and telepresence allow us to be in multiple places simultaneously. While I am there, I am also here and at the same time in neither place. Where is it we actually meet?
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel
Jaffa-Tel Aviv, Israel