LiminalSpaces

Simon Wachsmuth
Construction Status
Construction Status is a project that was conceived as an intervention in
public space, and it consists of a series of posters mounted throughout
Ramallah. Part of the project also consists of photographs and video
footage documenting the reactions to this activity.
The imagery in these posters is based on digitally processed footage
collected during a period of research and photographic exploration in
Ramallah. This imagery focuses mainly on construction sites and on
various buildings, emphasizing the role of stone as a significant material
in the context of Palestinian history. Economic, cultural and political
issues are addressed through the juxtaposition of different perspectives.
One of the main purposes of this poster campaign is to counter balance
the political posters habitually seen throughout the West Bank. The
campaign’s goal is to create an ambiguous situation in which fixed
oppositions are momentarily abandoned, giving space for the thoughts
and associative interpretations of individuals. In contrast to the
unequivocal nature of political posters, these posters underscore the idea
of resistance to a predetermined interpretation. In this manner, the posters
raise a series of questions concerning the role of public space ? whom
does it belong to, how does it functions within the complex local situation,
and how can it be reclaimed and used for purposes other than clearcut
political agendas.
The posters will be mounted in the center of Ramallah, extending out
from the Al Manara square and continuing along the road to Jerusalem all
the way to the Qalandia checkpoint. The repetition of certain images in
different posters is an important component of the project. In this way, the
perception of the posters will become cinematic, and will address the
issue of media images and publicly disseminated information as opinion-
shaping techniques.

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Simon Wachsmuth
Born 1964, Hamburg, Germany. Grew up in Hamburg and in Tel Aviv,
lives and works in Berlin and Vienna. Studied painting and visual media-
design at the University of Applied Arts in Vienna. Received an honor
prize for computer animation at the Prix ars Electronica, Linz, 1989. Has
exhibited at Gallery Stadtpark, Krems; Gallery Cora H?lzl, D?sseldorf;
Gallery Hohenlohe und Kalb, Vienna; Central House of Artists, Moscow
and many others.
earl.grey@t-online.de
www.galeriehohenlohe.at