1.11
Kodac Ko
20-28.8.2021
1. Yes and No
Single channel vieo, 5’42“, color, sound, 2020.
The video work is inspired by the notion of “doublethink“ created by George Orwell in his novel 1984. “Doublethink“ means accepting two contradictory beliefs simultaneously: one side tells YES!, and the other side NO!; right/wrong; yes/no; will be/will not be; can/cannot; do/do not; may/may not. The thoughts are converted into morse signals and transfered by blinking eyes. Each eye works separately from the other one. Two eyes, facing one place, move their pupils in different directions, whereby the gazes cross, disperse and then unite again for a single gaze.
2. Bodyclap
single channel video, 1’55”, black&white, sound, 2016.
The rhythmic striking of both palms is commonly known as a gesture of approval. When the inner surfaces of the hands meet – touch each other swiftly – a cavity forms. And with it an echoing sound. It’s a pleasure to our ears – gingerly jubilation or boisterous applause as an adjustable human expression of sympathy. The simple action of knocking two parts of the body against each other is an indispensable component of our communication and interaction. Clapping as a gesture of sound is consequently always assigned to a certain meaning.
For almost two minutes the reverberating sound of contracting and repelling skin lingers lone through the space. The hand hits repeatedly its symmetrical opposite, then the face, the upper arms, the thighs – again and again, repeatedly. In a split second the significance shifts. The applause becomes an introverted act: I hurt myself and my body. You witness a balancing act of given encouragement slowly transforming into violence.
Single channel vieo, 5’42“, color, sound, 2020.
The video work is inspired by the notion of “doublethink“ created by George Orwell in his novel 1984. “Doublethink“ means accepting two contradictory beliefs simultaneously: one side tells YES!, and the other side NO!; right/wrong; yes/no; will be/will not be; can/cannot; do/do not; may/may not. The thoughts are converted into morse signals and transfered by blinking eyes. Each eye works separately from the other one. Two eyes, facing one place, move their pupils in different directions, whereby the gazes cross, disperse and then unite again for a single gaze.
2. Bodyclap
single channel video, 1’55”, black&white, sound, 2016.
The rhythmic striking of both palms is commonly known as a gesture of approval. When the inner surfaces of the hands meet – touch each other swiftly – a cavity forms. And with it an echoing sound. It’s a pleasure to our ears – gingerly jubilation or boisterous applause as an adjustable human expression of sympathy. The simple action of knocking two parts of the body against each other is an indispensable component of our communication and interaction. Clapping as a gesture of sound is consequently always assigned to a certain meaning.
For almost two minutes the reverberating sound of contracting and repelling skin lingers lone through the space. The hand hits repeatedly its symmetrical opposite, then the face, the upper arms, the thighs – again and again, repeatedly. In a split second the significance shifts. The applause becomes an introverted act: I hurt myself and my body. You witness a balancing act of given encouragement slowly transforming into violence.
Kodac Ko creates media artwork and mixed media installations. Prenzlauer Studio will present two of her audio-visual works, Yes and No (2020) and Bodyclap (2016). Both of which focus on the inability to communicate, the attempt at dialogue, the dissonance between form and content and the dysfunction of language. By investigating communication on a meta-level, she tries to grasp the underlying ambiguity and indistinctness of language.