building_ memory
(2014; Exhibition "Was War Ist" ("What Was Is") curated by Hubert Lobnig 2014; site-specific space/sound/video installation in Lunzerstraße in Linz, Austria, a former Voest-Alpine steelworks apprentice and worker apartment complex that was later used as a shelter for refugees)
The story of a building is linked to the stories of its residents. Two of my own memories connected to the buildings in the Lunzerstreet resemble the experiences and daily routines of its former inhabitants. These are memories of being a student trainee at the steelworks in Linz, and as a child hearing the sirens in the early 90`s during the Balkan wars. The first part of the work – the video projection in the staircase – contains a variety of machine, alarm, and signal tones, a range of sounds that are highly common in a steel mill. The video shows recordings I took from the steelworks during the mid-2000s. The second part of the work – the room with a bed – is the source of alarm sirens that can be heard every few seconds. It symbolises the act of leaving one's bed behind to find shelter from air raids. These two installations interacted through sound with each other and connected my experiences with those of the former residents of the building.
(last photo by Elke Meisinger)
© 2023 vildan turalić