ULU BRAUN

Frequently we are confronted by protagonists looking at the sun. If they were not so down-and-out one might think they are doing this with dedication. The balance between familiar and repulsive images generates a fascinating pull. When the protagonist grubs for roots or dead fishes in the river bed, taps fresh water or urinates in a crisps bag (in order to water the flowers) and buries a dead cat which is lying at the side of the road, we can read this in two ways: as the breakdown of civilisation or as ecological responsibility. Dodge & Kahn succeed in revealing an existential reality which, like a pendulum, swings between the boundaries of our medial spectrum of experience.

How can I adequately present this important contemporary artistic movement in a reviewing show? Videonale has, as long as I can remember, tried to find an answer every time. The real difference to every other festival of media art is that it emphasises the exhibition concept, even though this comes along with problems. To what extent, and above all how, can a video be adequately presented, either as a classical exhibition work or in a concentrated, cinema-like screening situation? This is a question which artists, exhibition organisers and the Videonale must continue to ask themselves.