Daily, every 39,9 minutes, one violent death occurs in Venezuela. Life has acquired a different normality since violence and death have become everyday occurrences. Between the ages of 15 and 29 there is a 50% likelihood that one will die from a gunshot. In 2001 I was subject to this Russian roulette and luckily, I survived.
A key piece in the installation is the bullet (.45 caliber hollow point) that was extracted from my body the evening i was shot in Caracas. Its packed in a box papered by newspaper cutouts of deaths that happened on that day, and surrounded by three magnifying glasses to see the extent of damage these type of munitions can cause.
Using a billboard, the photograph of an armed teenager covering his face is seen standing on top of the building block he controls, showing how violence has taken over the city; a reality of hierarchies and focuses of violence.
The surface of the wall is lined up like wallpaper, but once close, ink silhouettes and red dots become visible, 13.156 outlines visualize the amount of violent deaths by guns in 2007, changing the way we perceive the “normality” we live in.
A countdown clock ticks throughout the installation. Every 39,9 minutes three gunshots are sound after which the viewers are asked to stamp another outline on the wall with red ink.
39,9 minutes – Multimedia interactive installation
3 video monitors, 2 dvd players, rubber stamps, rubber ink (red, black) & pad, bullet, wooden box, newspaper cutouts, photo print 150 x 100 cm., 3 magnifying glasses, 500 watt lamp.
Galerie der Künste Berlin
2008
Variable dimensions.
From the “Patria” (Homeland) series
