‘Contingency’, 2012

A field of noise. We must keep the order. Low-frequency machine rumble.
A body stuck in a turnstile. Distortion. Metal clanks against metal.
Speakers vibrate, a disembodies voice, an order to MOVE BACK. The machine begins the rhythm again.

Contingency explores the sonic fabric of colonial structures as embodied in the experience of the Ramallah-Jerusalem checkpoint Qalandia.

Using only sounds and dialogue recorded on location with hidden handheld devices the sonic language of the space is decoded and de-normalised. Fragments of the conversations and confrontations on site run across the screen. The soundscape is denaturalised to expose an unsettling surrealism and a kind of 'science fiction' that lurks at the heart of contemporary coloniality.

Firstly presented in 2010 as a sound installation with LED tickers.

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Text animation by Kuba Nowak