In the Box
This work refers to the video work "Woman in a Box" (1998), in which a large-scale, naked woman appears to be sitting in a construction trailer. Here, the human body ist scaled down to the size of a handbag and put it in a small monitor.
For the video shots, the actors had to climb into a 64.5 x 63 x 108 cm wooden box, which was built in proportion to the size of the real monitor. The front was closed with a pane of glass. Each experimentee has to hold out inside the box for twenty minutes. Every movement in the narrow space is difficult. Initial composure and boredom quickly transform into hopeless waiting, agonizing impatience, or desperate attempts to escape, accompanied by extreme sweating (particularly among the men). Up to now, the work - which is a series - consists of "Christiane in the Box," "Lutz in the Box," "Conny in the Box," and "Heinz in the Box." It can be presented as an installation on a single monitor or in combination with several monitors. This creates a constellation of pairs; a model for relationships. The title allows for several different interpretations. In German, "box" is a synonym for a television monitor, a coffin, or a bed (German: climbing into the case/bed).
Would you like to be packed into the case? You could also immortalize your husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend on video.
The installation was first on view at Art Cologne ’99, Gabriele Rivet gallery booth, Cologne
Actors: Conny Gerecke, Heinz Keller, Lutz Kulling, Christiane Schoenen