Video projection, sound; radio
Duration: 1:19'
Ed.: 1/2
Kunstmuseum Liechtenstein, Vaduz
Am Fenster tells a poetic and tragic story about the flow of time. Aleksandra Signer's works often consist of a cycle. By means of constant repetition, they address the inexorable passage of time, making direct reference to our existence. There is a compelling precision and brilliance to the subtle combination of global political affairs and local nature. In both her films and sculptures the artist focuses on the things and processes of everyday life.
'It is a single shot. I filmed a window. A bird flew over from the park and hit the window panes. And that kept happening over and over. The bird would appear every few minutes and fly into the glass. Sometimes several times in a row. Although it was not very loud, the sound of it hitting the glass was clearly audible. Around 200 times within one hour and nineteen minutes. While I was observing this, I was listening to news about the war in Lebanon on the radio (35 days during July–August 2006).' (Aleksandra Signer)
The bird striking the glass keeps coming back to the window and leaving us in the same breath. Its movements are a knocking, a shaking up. Am Fenster poses unrelenting questions to our powerlessness, tutelage or even ignorance. The radio on the ground recalls the daily news …
Aleksandra Signer studied at the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw from 1967 to 1973, graduating in sculpture. She went on to teach at the School of Applied Arts in Zakopane. She has been living and working in St. Gallen since 1977. She began creating her first video films in 1993.
Martina Morger
