Latent Segment 

“Latent Segment” is portraying replicas of the living quarters of people living in poor conditions –
for example migrant workers. The work serves as a commentary on social inequality, exploitation, and the systemic forces that lead to suboptimal living conditions for vulnerable populations.

Description:

The work allows the public to view the work from various perspectives. The three box-like accommodation replicas, built in the exhibition space of the artothek gallery in Cologne, Germany show on outside side the aesthetics of a normal exhibition, with miniature houses, hanged on the outer part of the walls, set up in a clean way.

The initial sight of the exhibition hides the “behind the wall perspective”, letting the public look at artworks produced for this exhibition. The artworks, presented in the initial view, are subtly leading towards the second view behind the walls. The public can walk around the construction, initially not seeing what is behind the walls.

During the opening evening, the artwork was activated by three performers who switched places
in between the living quarters, coming always with luggage that they unpack. They each stay in
the living quarters for a short period of time before they pack again and move to the next living
quarter.

In the upper part of the gallery, a zoological view is possible, inviting the public to see the performers and the quarters from above and afar. At the end of the balcony, in the upper part, an office is set up, where the performers put in their working hours with punch cards. Different specific smells of cooking different foods, also played an important role, creating the atmosphere of something that smells like an idea of a home. 

Idea:

The inside of the construction in the gallery, the small, windowless rooms, exposed wiring, and minimal personal belongings, each detail is replicating the oppressive atmosphere that defines their existence. Contrasting these sub-optimal living quarters, the artwork shows the white cube situation of art exhibitions as a social event. By exposing struggles that are invisible to us by recreating the cramped, dilapidated living spaces of i.e. migrant workers the work brings attention to the hidden realities that people in a difficult situation face daily. For example, many migrant laborers live in harsh conditions, often unseen by the public, and this work forces viewers to confront the stark contrast between their lives and the marginalized society. It strips away the anonymity of these living conditions and makes visible the human cost of global labour dynamics.

The miniature houses, hanged on the outer part of the walls, are functioning like a preview of the replicas of the sub-optimal living conditions. The miniature houses have a second understanding, inspired by a Romanian folk story of “Meșterul Manole”. It is said that when Manole was building the Curtea de Argeș monastery in Romania, he was building during the day, and during the night his progress would be destroyed by an unknown force. These strange happenings drive Manole into madness, pushing him to murder his wife who was pregnant and hide them in the walls of the building. After this sacrifice was made, the story has it that the monastery’s building could be completed. In most cases sacrifices are made in one way or the other to complete a process. At the same time, for the project, the miniature houses function as a protection symbol, for a sacrifice that has been semiotically made with the figurines so that nothing bad should happen anymore. 

On the balcony the view is suggesting a dissociating effect that leads to panopticon observation rather than an involved view.

Performers: Rabea Chatha, Emma Rüther, and Markus Henschler.

Links:

• Annoucement on Website of artothek Köln

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