Abyss
Digital video, 9 minutes loop, 5 different soundtracks, 2016
Zooming in we follow the camera into the rendering of the palace of Westminster. Floating through abstracted architecture we finally arrive in the Chamber of Lords. The grand furniture emphasizes the political power of the deserted hall. Out of nowhere a golden ball falls into the red upholstery and transforms into an amorphous organism – a real shape within the smooth CGI surroundings. The fleshy figure maps the room with crawling movements pursuing a ridiculous choreography. It grows steadily until it incorporates the whole room.
Stefanie Gerstmayr’s video work „Abyss“ places a foreign body in the centre of power of British politics. In times of Brexit she investigates in a subtle way the meaning of the space. Who is in charge and takes the decisions? Gerstmayr is interested in the question of sovereignty of bodies in political societies.
