ISTANBUL The 1st part of the V.S. Humanity Project
Realised in the Context of ISTANBUL – Cultural Capital of Europe 2010
In the context of the Vital Space organisation’s goals, the project V.S. Humanity is presented gradually as it is being realised. A first version of the project was presented inIstanbul in 10 & 11 / 2010 at Tophane. This video installation has been Danae Stratou’s participation in the project Lives and Works in Istanbul, part of the central program of theIstanbul – Cultural Capital of Europe 2010 events. The artist was invited to participate by the Visual Arts Director, Beral Madra.
The second film captures from ground level a sea of people coming toward the camera in sequences filmed in different city locations (e.g. bus station, ferry boat terminal, busy streets).
Video stills from the footage of VS Humanity – Istanbul, 2010
Part of the footage filmed for V.S. Istanbul will eventually become integrated within the wider project V.S. Humanity. Additional cities to be included in the broader project are Megacities such as: Athens, Paris, Shanghai, New York, Lagos, Mumbai and Sao Paulo.
INSTALLATION
V.S. Istanbul was projected on a large freestanding wall (7.00mx4.00m). Both projections covered the entire surface of the wall on each side. On the one side of the wall the birds’ eye view film was projected. On the other side, the ground level film was projected.
Video installation, V.S. Humanity. Tophane, Istanbul, 2010
The former offers the viewer a constant outward movement, as the camera attached to the front of the helicopter relates a constant flow of images taking the viewer seamlessly across the city from the centre outwards. In contrast the ground level film offers a different dynamic since the camera is static and the constant flow of humanity is coming toward the viewer.
