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Lookup NU author(s): Professor Uta Kogelsberger
Full text is not currently available for this publication.
Artist(s): Kogelsberger U
Publication type: Artefact
Publication status: Published
Year: 2012
Location: Brussels
Source Publication Date: June 2012
Type of Work: Portfolio
Notes: Off road is an ongoing practice based video research project that rethinks the role of the notion of freedom, pioneer spirit, conquest and individuality within American culture. It does so by re-evaluating those pockets of controlled ‘freedom’ and the communities that grow around them that are emblematic of American culture and are instrumental in supporting a political system that is based on these notions. More specifically the research was developed over a period of three years on a state vehicular recreation area in California. The location consists of a very large area of large sand dunes, the south side of which is a nature reserve that is in stark contrast to the use of motor vehicles. The area attracts a large amount of controversy due to the ecological impact of its use and is under constant threat of closure. By definition the research thus also raises issues regarding the sustainability of such usage. Through a series of interviews with the community that has grown around the site that are part of a five channel video installation the research also seeks to highlight the socially constructive role in building a community that the location has. This is particularly significant in a region where urbanism is dispersed and where as a result the growth of local communities is threatened. Methodologically the work redefines the role of condensation of time within video, the boundary between photography and video and documentary and fictional filmic languages. The work will be exhibited in a one-person show at Ersatz Gallery, London in June 2012. I am also in conversation with ‘Nikolaij’ in Copenhagen and ‘Error 1’ in Belgium for potential exhibitions.
