27 September–18 October 1998 / Casco HQ
Documents is a presentation of a number of documentary films and videos by artists which are presented in two series of three weeks. The works of the artists reflect on social and societal subjects in ways that deviate from the norms usually employed by the media; they are made from an individual perspective and are not initially intended for transmission. Documents is a collection which comments on life in contemporary society, on individuals in relation to their public and private domains, and on family, work and the city.
Stephan Hobbs, On Interesting Spaces, 1997. Video, 17 minutes.
On Interesting Spaces shows two men smoking cigars on a roof terrace overlooking Johannesburg. The men’s conversation is not audible, so that we become above all aware of their body language, and the exhalation of the smoke as a substitute for the spoken word.
Hanno Krieg, That’s Reality, Hanno, 1995-96. Video, 19 minutes.
That’s Reality, Hanno is a video film about a group of Guardian Angels who operate on the streets and underground of Berlin, led by a charismatic young Englishman. The film follows the group in their daily training, group meetings, and as they recruit new members.
Fannie Niemi-Junkola, Pauliina Karppinen, 1998. Video (loop).
Pauliina Karppinen is a video of a performance by a nightclub dancer. The arena, a place where the body is subjected to a physical test under the gaze of the public, is a motif used in other films by Miemi-Junkola: in interviews with boxers and in a mythological fight between two women on an island.
Noa Sadka, Getting Drunk in Front of the Camera with a Bottle of Vodka, 1997. Video, 80 minutes.
What happens in the film Getting Drunk… is exactly what the title suggests. We see the artist sitting in front of the camera drinking vodka, getting more and more drunk as the film progresses.
Pierre Faure, Quelques Jours en Décembre, 1996. Video, 82 minutes.
Quelques Jours en Décembre is a documentary about a strike at a post office sorting depot in Paris in December 1995. The often long sequences present an image which, unlike the images presented by the media, is less concerned with newsworthiness and sensation, than with the physical and emotional relations of the employees to the situation.
Floris Paalman, Amsterdam Zuid-Oost, 1997. 16mm film, 10 minutes.
Amsterdam Zuid-Oost shows the movement of people in relation to the (architectural) space of Amsterdam South-East. In clear, at times detached images, the film shows the built environment and those who use it.
Mira Bernabeu, Inner Circle, 1996. Video, 30 minutes.
Inner Circle is a “family portrait” that shows the external appearance of a group, while also making explicit references to the violence that lies concealed beneath the peaceful exterior.
See:
Stephen Hobbs, Seeing is believing, Casco Issues #5


