Whiteout
— A weather condition in a snow-covered area in which no object casts a shadow, the horizon cannot be seen, and only dark objects are discernible; a blizzard that severely reduces visibility. (Merriam-Webster)
— An act or instance of whiting out with a correction fluid, a white correction fluid used for this; a mistake, as in typing, that has been whited out with a correction fluid. (Dictionary.com)
— A less severe black out, you remember where you were, but the events and conversations have become blurry. Can also be considered a selective memory due to immense amounts of alcohol, drugs or a combination of the two. (Urban Dictionary)
Synopsis
One round image, portrait-style, shows a person in spotlight, or in a bubble, or perhaps through a scope (sans crosshair). He is being ‘shot’ with letters that smear white substance over his face and head. Inbetween the letters, sounds of overlapping conversations take over, noisy and undecipherable. Eventually the person is blinded by the white stuff which covers his face completely.
Whiteout is a symbolic visualization of an individual’s experience on reality in a mediated environment saturated with propaganda, fake news, disinformation and meaningless chatter. It also deals with anonymity and identity in context of social situations.
Whiteout is an individual one-channel video performance piece that shares footage and conceptual basis with the multichannel installation The True Nature of Things (2014).
Installation
Darkened space. The image is projected to a wall. The person in the image appears in natural human size and stature (diameter of the circle ca 87 cm).
