SALLE 2:118 SIRI
2011

Jakob Márky / Mikael Olsson


SALLE 2:118 SIRI is a filmic study of a place through its surfaces and the depths that open up in between them. The scene is set at the Stockholm subway station Östermalmstorg, where Swedish artist Siri Derkert’s work “Ristningar i betong” (1961-1965) is carved into the concrete walls.

By using a hand-held camera, a natural seeming movement is evoked that resembles that of the human body and vision. At times the camera closely zooms in on the walls and seems to caress them with its movement, at other times it focuses on the angles and varying perspectives of the architecture. The place is comprehended through fields of colour and details of the walls, such as spots and surface texture. The only text visible in the sequence is the word “Woolf” referring to Virginia Woolf, revealing the political nature of Derkert’s artwork.
The images are accompanied by sound that was recorded in a quiet room. It is hardly distinguishable, but contributes to a sensuously tangible topology of the space.

The film was first shown at Moderna Museet Stockholm 2011 during the exhibition ”Siri Derkert”.

Graphic design: We Do Not Work Alone
Sound: Martin Johnson
7:38 min
2011
S16

© Jakob Márky and Mikael Olsson