Spatial instalation | Gemere

The origin of Gemere (sighs) lies in a real building: the old prison, connected to the Pallazo Ducale in vennice, by the known Bridge of Sights. In the past, people convicted in the Pallazo were taken to this prison via the bridge. Through the perforations in the stone walls of the bridge, they sighed, seeing their loved ones for the last time before disappearing through the dark, oppressive corridors, into their cells. Unlike the clear walkways of the palace, the prison's corridors seem to want to lock their inhabitants in an endless labyrinth. The increasingly narrow stone corridors, where the light becomes rarer, have similarities with the Venetian alleys. The city seems carved out of one single stone. This building reflects the city. I walked this route myself, from the palace to the prison, and clearly experienced the gradual loss of clarity, freedom, space and light. I was very fascinated by one specific space: a curved corridor that marked the transition between two spaces. I documented this uniquely designed corridor and translated it into a small model to retain the atmosphere and meaning: the starting point of Gemere.
In Gemere the spectator experiences a sculpture (viewing boxes) and a video showing the last moments, sight lines, sounds, emptiness and fear of the convicts before they reach the cell.