non_equivalents

In ‘non_equivalents’ I set out to challenge the simple montage as presented by main stream news and online media. For this I engaged with visual online photographic representations of the recent bombings in Syria and with self-generated stills of ancient Greek artefacts next to moving image footage from a walk in Bristol. By amalgamating this diverse material and creating complex slippages within a multi stranded deliberately non-conclusive narrative I aimed to draw out what escapes, when aspects and interpretations of events are presented as ‘facts’. These are, for instance, questions such as: Is there a link between culture, affect and violence? Do ancient artefact not only bear witness to aesthetic achievements but also to violence, oppression and destruction? In how far is aesthetics part of how we explore representations of war and destruction? It is not comfortable to think about these entangled issues as they don’t offer easy answers. Yet nevertheless, in my opinion, they are worth raising and exploring as they can help to understand better how culture might be utilized and how art might affect change.

non_equivalents is an element of my doctoral thesis Digital Porosity and its Impact on the Mediation of Networked Images (2020), University of Plymouth.

Length: 5’33”