Marta

Video Home System

The writing machine:

I introduce a character that is going to speak for me. The person who is narrating is the one that holds the camera, films and comments on the footage at the same time. The way she tells stories is inspired by a particular language developed by means of VHS cameras. Mundane notes on surrounding environment, daily rituals, family, friends, birthday parties, first communions, holiday in Italy, zoo. A revolutionary device that allowed everyone depict their surrounding for the first time, deprived from the sentimental vibe that 8 mm cameras had had.

Image 2:

We are at the entrance to the city, I zoom in so you can see better. It’s dark, yet can you get a glimpse of the tower? There are two twin towers on both sides of the shore, they are slightly bended towards each other and between them there’s a passage for ships. They greet coming ships with majesty. The image is wobbly, it’s because there are buses, bikes and pedestrians passing behind me and they make the bridge vibrate. And this is a hanging bridge, as most of them in the city. Every time the bus passes, the camera is out of control. So even if I had a tripod it wouldn’t help really.

Image 8:

What does the green light say? Jonas showed us the light house with green lights in Kiel. It was far outside the city at the point where open see begins. So I guess it is supposed to warn ships that the water gets shallow and the passages narrow.

Image 5: I must have overestimated the potential of this camera. Although I got it from my grandpa who is a techno gig it doesn’t really cope with the darkness. Basically you can’t see anything but for blackness. But I remember there is a long cargo ship coming in my direction, I thought strong sidelights on the deck might have been visible on the footage but apparently they are not. And there is also dense thick fog that doesn’t allow me to see the other side of the river. There is a lot of moist in the air in this city. With the temperature around 0, it makes your eyes feel cold. Do you know that feeling? It is quite refreshing and make you wake up but slightly hurt your eyes at the same time. As if the glasslike coat of your eyes was hit by the ground frost. Or, say, when you’re about to cry but try to withhold it and tears accumulate on the surface of your eyes. Oh, and the sound. The sound helps me remember, waves crushing against the concrete shore. So yes, I am on the tip of the island potentially having view on both: the southern and the northern sides of the city. But that’s just a mere speculation.

Image 1: I see her lie, bent over in the shape of a baby in mothers bump. Even though she’s tired she never goes to sleep just like this. She is always prolonging the moment of stepping back as if the day was not enough. It is never enough, and in the nighttime more things are likely to happen and time goes slow. Nobody watches, nobody checks in, the time is less precious. She started to watch a movie by Chantal Akerman but fell asleep very soon after couple of minutes. It is this sweet feeling of falling nothingness, not wanting to wake up neither to undress and allow herself have a proper sleep. Her sleep was very deep until she awakens in confusion in front of the main character lying on the bed in exactly same pose as she was.

Image 9: From a bird sight view the harbor resembles an angular, multi-fingered, outstretched hand. Shapes stretch in different directions. I choose the index finger and head toward its tip. Today is day off and everything stayed in stillness. The cranes in half way, heavy ships slightly lifted on steel constructions, only few solitary fishermen sit by the water gazing out to the other side of the river. I don’t believe they sit there so as not to miss the right time when the fishes come. There are large amounts of chemicals and heavy metals sinking in harbor waters, and mountains of pesticides and other toxic substances. I was surprised when Jonas told me that they used to jump from these industrial bridges on hot summer nights when no one could see. He said it was so high that one had to be cautious when jumping to hit the water surface first with feet, with a straight pose. Once, hitting the surface with an open mouth, he clashed his upper teeth against the lower badly. Maybe it was the last time he jumped.