NTAA22 FINALIST: Irakli Sabekia - Voicing Borders
On the Eastern boundary of Europe, a razor-wire fence is stretched across Georgia. It marks the occupied territories cut off by the Russian intervention of 2008.
Behind this fence, in an attempt to eliminate the evidence of the former resident population, at least 16 villages have been completely erased.
The interactive part allows the viewer to explore the satellite images and juxtapose the past and the present. Standing in the light of the projection viewers can scan through today’s empty landscapes using their shadows, to reveal the locations and the structures of the destroyed villages.
The second part is a razor-wire fence, transformed into a tool of voicing a protest against itself. A purpose-built radio transmitter connects to the razor wire fence and by tuning into it uses the long coiled structure of the wire as an antenna, transmitting a short message in morse code stating the names of the 16 villages and their coordinates.