and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky

Installation

Four-channel sound-video installation │2’│2’│2’│2’│video│color│stereo│ loop │ 2016

 

The project is part of a larger body of work in which Doplgenger explore the complex and intricate relations of labor, war, and economy. They focus on, and question, the media representation of labor—from the phenomenon of the temporary economic migration of gastarbeiter in postwar 1960s Europe to the labor market debate around the polarization between economic and war refugees in the course of today’s massive migration into Europe. Historic literary texts that deal with different labor contexts provide the inspiration and the titles for the works created so far.

The title of video-sound installation “and the tranquil waterway leading to the uttermost ends of the earth flowed sombre under an overcast sky” takes the phrase from the Heart of Darkness (1899) by Joseph Conrad. The story about a voyage up the Congo River into the heart of Africa, serves as the point of reference for Doplgenger’s investigation of economic trade between Yugoslavia and the countries of Non-Aligned Movement.

Doplgenger intervened into the footage of Yugoslav television, which had been recording the processes of economic cooperation in the 1970s and 80s.

Credits
Image editing: Doplgenger
Sound editing: Doplgenger