Shudder (videosculpture XIV)

"The absence of an image is revealed in its reflection. This gives the perception of watching the negative of a film that seems to play in a visible underground." Emmanuel Van der Auwera, 2018.

In Shudder (videosculpture XIV), Emmanuel Van der Auwera shows images of a soldier who seems to be reliving traumatic memories. First, we see a static image of the soldier, with a blank face and empty eyes. Next, we see footage of him running and falling, and then a car on fire, the soldier in a wheelchair... The final image is that of a funeral under a blue sky, a bitter end.

The video consists of stock footage that Van der Auwera has slowly edited over white noise. These shots point up stock video companies that create slick images on demand, covering a wide variety of themes and target groups. For a small fee, these cookie-cutter clips can be used in advertisements, product videos or even films. By incorporating them here, Emmanuel Van der Auwera questions our daily use of mass media. He also makes it clear that reality is often an artificial construct.

Through his installations, Van der Auwera deconstructs the glut of images and the many ways in which they are presented and disseminated.