dulce lam  a   r    c      a

A1 video still series, 2022-2023

Video still printed on crystal voile cotton silk

Dimensions variable

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Stills of a video work in progress. The video piece serves as a dreamlike portrait of a place where I spent all my summers growing up: a small coastal village where houses are sequentially named alphanumerically. The A1 is the first house of the village and one of the two last ones standing of its kind.

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This village started with two stilt houses around 1904 that were made with wood and straw from the surrounding areas. Candlelight and wells are used instead of electricity and running water. Today, in 2023, there are 450 permanent residents in the village but only two stilt houses left. The other cabins have been swallowed by the sea due the rising sea level. Inhabitants today live in concrete houses, which are also under threat. The film aims to be a reflection of our times and how we live, exploring themes of environmentalism and the ephemerality of life.

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The video is a portrait of three main characters in their environment: these are the stilt house, an old man, and a dog. The old man and his relationship with the dog symbolize a connection and harmony with nature that has been largely lost. By portraying their days in the cabin, the film invites the audience to reflect on time and how it defines us. What do we do when we have little to do? The film portrays the beauty in simplicity and captures a way of life that is fading away.