Suburbs of the Void
Suburbs of the Void
In Thomas Köners 'Suburbs of the Void, the image of an intersection surrounded by houses is seemingly devoid of life. There are no street signs - not even a billboard in sight. We are given no clues as to the whereabouts of this location. However, a few lit windows and occasional traces of light on the street, allows us to anticipate the presence of human life. For Suburbs of the Void, Köner uses 2000 photographs taken by a traffic surveillance camera. These photos were sent directly through the internet where he compiled them and then assembled them into video form. The location of this work is, in actuality, in the north of Finland close to the polar circle. The subsequent permafrost and lengthy periods of darkness identify such a location. For the artist, the permanent cold is connected with the deceleration of the image and thus, a sharpening of the viewer`s senses.