The killing of the innocent

As part of a collective exhibition at St. Mark's Church in Steglitz dedicated to the Christmas story, I chose the part called "The Killing of the Innocents" in the Bible. This story tells how Herod sent Jesus after the birth of the baby, to kill all the babies to avoid losing power according to the prophecy. This situation forced families, to flee the city in search of a safe place.

My first approach to this story was to draw a parallel with today's migration stories around the world, where unfortunately many families are forced to leave their homes in search of a safe place. To do this, I created a photo montage using images of paintings that tell Herod's story alongside images of immigrants today. My intention with this parallel was, of course, to create a dialogue about our responsibility as a society and how this story should not be understood as a legend, but as something that happens over and over again in today's world.

These photo-montages were then placed as spinning lamps, so that the rotation of the lamps created the illusion of people walking. The projection on the walls gave the spectators a sense of immersion, making them feel as if they were part of the story, as if these people were walking next to them.

The installation is accompanied by a collage of sounds, which include political, anti-migration speeches, distorted until they become tenebrous voices.