LEFT BEHIND

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Light installation and Performance. X-wohnungen, 

Hebbel am Ufer, Berlin, Germany (2008).

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The house is situated in Groupious stadt, Berlin on the old border between East and West Berlin. It was built for Polish refugees after the Second World War. From the 1960s for 45 years, a family lived there. As the older generation died and the younger moved out, and before the demolition crew arrived, the house was unoccupied yet the furniture and personal things from the life of the family were still there. 

 

These leftovers looked lost and empty. The family let us show the things in the house, including family photos from the life they’ve had in the house. It became an entry point to experience history from one family’s perspective but also a wider story about a certain time in history at a particular place.

 

For the installation and performance Left Behind, 150 light bulbs are placed on the walls all over the house. With all its cables it looks like a giant web taking over the space. The lights expose places not usually lit. The surrounding is shifting in a slow pulsating light fade from 0-100% and back again. 

 

The house was revealing some of its dark corners. At some points it was all lit up and you could see all the details and sometimes you were caught in the dark and had to wait. The pulse of the light made it feel like the house was breathing.

 

House, existing content of the house, photos, light