Metal island
video (5min) 2009
Shot in 2009 in Essen, Germany during a one week residency at the Pact Zullverein.
Essen is an industrial city filled with old coal factories that used to served during world war II.
It was spring, the silence from this gigantic, deserted metal monster was striking.
The industry was being turned into a social environment, there was a bar, a ferry wheel and a pool in construction.
The train that used to serve to deliver coal was authentic and maybe used for an other function. I remember witnessing a wedding in front of this train.
We could hear a radio playing some, nazi sounding songs, sometimes here and there or the sound of the ferries wheel.
The paradox in creating a social environment in an empty world war II industry was fierce.
So I decided to create two characters that would casually occupy this dead space.
As if they were living on an island. A bit idle, not knowing how to pass time, or escape.
Essen is an industrial city filled with old coal factories that used to served during world war II.
It was spring, the silence from this gigantic, deserted metal monster was striking.
The industry was being turned into a social environment, there was a bar, a ferry wheel and a pool in construction.
The train that used to serve to deliver coal was authentic and maybe used for an other function. I remember witnessing a wedding in front of this train.
We could hear a radio playing some, nazi sounding songs, sometimes here and there or the sound of the ferries wheel.
The paradox in creating a social environment in an empty world war II industry was fierce.
So I decided to create two characters that would casually occupy this dead space.
As if they were living on an island. A bit idle, not knowing how to pass time, or escape.