crank of forgiveness

interactive video installation


     
     
     

By winding the crank a merry-go-round emerges into our sight. Grotesque characters march through the spiralling structure. The digital screen juxtaposed with the vintage wooden confession box. Carved trefoil ornaments in solid wood evokes church interiors – a historical site of confession and repentance. The fantastical figures in hazmat suits renew the circus setting to our current digital age. On the penultimate level of the spiral, centaurs jump for an instagram ‘like’ – a modern symbol of Vanity. In the end of the animation, Jesus sheds blood into the Holy Grail to seek salvages for our misdeeds.
With the invitation to viewers to activate the video, I try to show us a reflection of our own. The lighthearted music and carnivalesque imagery reveal our inseparable relationship with social media channels. On a closer look, the figures commit the Seven Sins from selfishness to debauchery. I observe the digital age, when our behavioural habits are significantly altered by social media and instant communications. Will we ever reach salvation as the video suggests, or will we be left alone with our misdeeds? Crank of Forgiveness offers us a tempting option to repent from our daily multimedia sins.

     

curated by bba-gallery.com

     
     
     

     

work: Sven Windszus

photos: BBA gallery, Julia Utset

programming: Nikolai Reinke