Jag fryser i solen
Video projection
11 min
I am interested in human encounters and the connection between my own body and the bodies of others, often in relation to our increasingly digitalized and efficiency-driven society. In my work, I explore the presence and absence of this connection, questioning our evolving behaviors and the strange paradox of digitalization: we are able to reach one another at any moment, yet the distance between our bodies continues to grow.
My sister lives in Luleå, 1,250 kilometers away from me. It is 1,250 kilometers too far, at least for my body. I am grateful for the digital connection that keeps our relationship alive, yet I wonder what needs it truly fulfills. The longing for her can be soothed by the rush of notifications lighting up my face, convincing me that we are together.
At the same time, I reflect on what presence actually means. Through the screen, our attention is directed entirely toward one another, while our focus can easily drift elsewhere when we sit together on the sofa. Perhaps our digital conversations can at times feel more focused than when our bodies occupy the same room. Sometimes it feels as though I exist only within a phone. I text, therefore I am. The work explores this displacement, where intimacy emerges without physical presence, and raises questions about what genuine connection truly is.
In the work Jag fryser i solen, screen-recorded material from my phone is presented: a conversation with my sister, exchanges of memes, a group chat with friends, and restless scrolling through reels. The video is projected onto layers of transparent textiles digitally printed with images of my face. The face repeats and shifts between states of tension and rest. Through the interplay of light, image, and textile, the layers appear differently, as though presence and absence are in constant flux, at times even exchanging places entirely.
@disabjrk
disa_bjork@hotmail.se