The Still Life Series

“The Still Life” series records some of the memories of an old building that is undergoing renovation in the Mitte neighborhood of Berlin. A still life is set up each time a wall is going to be knocked down. Each still life is made from materials and other traces that have been left behind in the rooms of the house. The men knocking down the walls start on one side, and I stand on the other, filming the still life and protecting the camera from the falling debris. When watching the demolition it organically creates a film set. The historical still life format of capturing slow decay becomes the medium to show rapid destruction. Original sound recordings have been edited to amplify the already existing ambient noises of the city going on right outside the windows of the house during the demolition. The life outside the window drowns out the life inside until everything settles once again.