Isolation begins with the physical confinement of the skull.

Next to physical contact, language, in its most expanded sense, is the primary means by which human beings avoid isolation. The failure or limitations of language and all forms of communication determine to a large degree any sense of isolation we might have. We must to a certain degree live inside our own head, within the abstract space of our interpretation of the perceptual information, which comes our way.

This was my starting point for exploring the notion of isolation at Postsovkhoz4. Using a straightforward approach to video production I made a series of ‘home movies’ called ‘The Couple’, ‘The Baby’, ‘The Party’ and ‘The Nest’. These explored different, very common social situations in which the camera is intended to reflect ‘self’. This idea was reinforced by the use of subtitles, which in turn reflected the thoughts of ‘self’. (Except in ‘The Party’ where silence was utilised).

The ‘thoughts’ reflected personal memories, unspoken insecurities and responses to the social situation interlaced with the sensory information of the situation itself. The viewer had to prioritise ‘thoughts’, image or dialogue as the layers became at times impossible to receive simultaneously. This generated a sense of dislocation and ultimately isolation, perhaps the necessary price of consciousness itself?

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