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Dust of the Binckhorst (2019)

In collaboration with Giulia Faccin.

 

This documentary installation was produced as part of a collaboration between the Non-Linear Narrative (NLN) of the Royal Academy of Art, The Hague (KABK), The Archaeology Department of the Municipality of The Hague and the ‘Rotterdamsebaan’ major road project and Stroom Den Haag.

 

The installation is made of two films, both based on the principles of cinematic neo-realism and cinema vérité, to the end of witnessing and recording reality as accurately as possible, as we experienced it. The first video is a documentary-style film based on light-hearted conversations that determine the rhythm of the narrative and filmed with a handheld camera to conserve the intimacy of the encounters. We as authors can also be heard and seen in some cases, reinforcing the first-person experience already established by first-person interviews. The second video is an observational piece, depicting the spaces where these conversations are taking place, through long takes and stationary camera highlighting the importance of space in harbouring communities like the one of the shipyard.

 

The same way archaeological finds are the vessels of the past to the present, this film is a courier from the present to the future. The installation aims to conserve this community of Jachtwerf de Haas by witnessing it and inviting you to witness it as well. While at the same time showing the spaces where these conversations took place, highlighting the importance of available space within a city to harbour communities like this one. Therefore, by using the principles of archaeology of the present and selective conservation, consciously, we ensure that valuable aspects of the city will be witnessed and can be used as a tool of accountability. This installation can be seen as a future critic of contemporary changes that can only be judged according to their future consequences.

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