The Cloned City developed through onsite explorations in New Dubai, one of the fastest growing City environments worldwide; confronted by utopian looking buildings and suburbs that seem to develop the Western Lifestyle to the extreme; controlling nature, man made islands for luxurious life style and comfort are set in contrast to the still existing old and historical rich City of Dubai.
Dubai houses numerous immigrants from countries that suffer from poverty. These people come here to work, trying to save their earned money to go back home one day. Because of high rents they are often urged to live together with others, in overcrowded houses/places and many of them in tents or self-made tin sheds on roofs.
Another problematic aspect of Dubai concerns the Emirati people themselves and the preservation of their own cultural identity and language within their families and greater community. English has become their main conversational language and many traditions are threatened to disappear through the aim to accommodate totally to Western lifestyle. Many questions about identity, belonging and human/cultural diverse individuality arise in this context and are addressed in this installation, which can be linked to Identical City (2005).
EMOTIONAL SEASONS – project series 2010 in HD – experimentations with performance and new media art
- Material for Christmas derives from performances in Australia, Austria, Ghana and India – December 2009
- Video/sound material for The Cloned City was collected through onsite explorations in New Dubai – March 2010
- Not quite kosher in Vienna results in an EndPresentation, an ArtFestival Live Performanceand Interview – March to May 2010
- At Artspace in Sydney develops Fool’s Gold during a studio residency – July to August 2010
- In collaboration with SlowForward develops OffSeason for the Montmartre Art in the Park Festival Vienna – September 2010
- Internal Room sets again performances by international artists in relation to each other – August to October 2010