Alma Suljević “Electra”

Internet cafe (Sarajevo)
August 22 – September 20, 1998

“All those who know that the possible and the impossible are inseparable, remain in the field of art” – Hipocrates

Electra means something hidden. “The one who knows and doesn’t know at the same time.” Electra, the daughter of Agamemnon, did not recognize her brother after the war… The problem of mine fields is something which Alma Suljević has dealt with for some years. The estimate of 18 000 mine fields with a million mines is just half of what is known to be present in Bosnia today.

The video installation consists of three videos shown on three monitors at the same time. The first part – filmed in a mine field near the “exchange bridge” (Hotel Bristol, March 1998) where the author demined for several hours.

The second part – interviews with the UN Mine Action Centre officers, Sarajevo. “A dog which looks for mines stops when he is tired, and the men does not give up.” (from the interview)

The third part – while we are trying out our new shoes, we look at our feet. The camera follows feet walking on mine-field maps from a mirror perspective.