Wandering through the Future (installation)

Billboard in Dubai, photo M. Dijkman

'The Biennial’s theme proposes art as a way of creating a better understanding about our relationship with nature and the environment, whilst considering its social, political, cultural and subjective dimensions in an interdisciplinary way. SB8 will focus on the renewed role of art in addressing a wide range of issues that alarmingly affect human existence on earth.' Sharjah Biennial 8

During my site-visit to Sharjah I became fascinated by the leaking air conditioning units that ‘project’ small green oases onto the desert sand. In response, I created a similar situation where individual imaginary ‘oases’ can be projected. Many film productions use ‘Chroma Key’ backdrops in order to edit actors into animated realities that represent another time and/or space.



The shape and material of these installations refers to the many billboards in Dubai that present major future project to be realised. Unlike these commercial visions of the real estate this three dimensional 'billboard' functioned as a startingpoint for passersby to imagine possible future scenarios.

This chroma key space was constructed in the Sharjah Heritage Museum, which is constructed for tourists to represent the architecture from the past. Instead of presenting this work close to the billboards in Dubai it was constructed in this architectonical heritage area and emphasized to take the heritage as a startingpoint to imagine alternative future scenarios.