Collection

  • Jananne Al-Ani , Shadow Sites I , 2010

    'Shadow Sites I' scene

The work is a reflection on images of contemporary armed conflicts and their coverage in the media. “Shadow Sites I” makes a reference to the technique used in archaeological surveys, where, in search of what is hidden underground, aerial photographs and bird’s eye view observation of an area are used, and shadows at dusk and sunrise are analysed (which is when they are the longest). The film is a 12-minute video recording of a flight over a desert in southern Jordan, at the border crossing with Israel, occupied Palestine, Saudi Arabia and Syria, recording the barren and deserted landscape of these areas. The photographs are inspired by media coverage of the First Gulf War (1990-1991), which Jean Baudrillard termed the “virtual” war. Transmitted with the use of complex military technology and satellite systems, it was a breakthrough in how the warfare was reported, as the transmitted images were formed almost exclusively through aerial photographs of bombed objects, erasing people and their suffering.

Year: 2010
Medium: digitized Super 16mm, stereo
Format: 14'20'' cm

Acquisition: purchase
Ownership form: collection
Source: Jananne Al-Ani
Index: MSN: 4300-15/2016
Acquisition date:
Financing source: Cofinanced by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage under the 'National collections of contemporary art 2016' priority