Using a stairwell, we told a true story of the war in Bosnia, of a person who had been rigging their home with explosives. It is the story of a person under house arrest. Earmarked for future deportation by the Serbs, this resident is imprisoned at home. The high school next door had been converted into a prison camp. Sounds of torture and beatings are heard through the walls and windows. Trapped in this condition, this person has made the decision to destroy the house when the Serbs come. Each day, through the black market and through friends, this person obtains explosives. The entire house is rigged. It is a giant booby trap. The story was told in Bosnian and English using both male and female voices. Loudspeakers were placed at both ends of the stairwell. As the audience moved up and down the staircase, they moved through the different voices. The point of origin of each is not constant, but shifting. At the midpoint of the stairwell, the voices blend from Bosnian to English. This installation told the story of
those living in Bosnia, under siege, and tried to understand the logic in acts of extreme desperation.
Media: mini-lights, sound mix, audio CD player, speakers, photographs, table, paint
Location: New Langton Arts, San Francisco, CA