MOJAVE: A PERSON WAS HERE

Stereoscopic Video- and Soundinstallation (2013)

Mojave (A Person Was Here) is an experimental filmic and sonic exploration of the Mojave Desert, the “Hinterland” of the city of Los Angeles. It is composed of solely documentary material, connecting stereoscopic 3D-images with spatially rendered sounds and noises from the natural and cultural landscape. It reenacts the presence of infrastructure that cuts through the vast landscape. In contrast to the static views shown in the film, the sound layers channel an access to the ‘inner world’ of these presented structures. By technically amplifying their usually inaudible acoustic presence, the film uncovers the inherent temporality of power lines, fences and buildings. The installation‘s title originates from a graffiti painted onto a rock found in the desert.

From 2014 - 2017, Mojave (A Person Was Here) was for two years installed inside the so called Isolation Chamber on the grounds of the Desert Research Research Station, an exhibition facility in Hinkley, California, operated by the Center for Land Use Interpretation, Los Angeles. By watching the film inside this black box, visitors entered a fully immersive representation of the surrounding landscape. After around 25 minutes, when the film finished, they would step outside of the chamber, to find themselves in the same place they just experienced as a simulation.