"Neulinge" was present at the GoPublic! event in Karlsruhe hosted by HfG in connection with the UNESCO City of Media Arts
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In the film through anonymous faces people who are living- or have lived elsewhere than where they were born, tell their stories.
I myself am experiencing the difficulties of being a newcomer, struggling with language and customs, and most of all with locals trying to make me feel welcome (thankfully) but despite that sometimes feeling left out. I'm not the only one. Every day, in bigger or smaller intensity people struggle with adapting to cultures they suddenly find themselves in the midst of.
How welcome is someone new in town, in the community?
And in which intensity does heritage, beliefs, looks and customs play a role?
I'm asking people I know and people I don't yet know.
they stare at you
they are bigger than life like
their stories are real
the people are not
The faces not being real explores opinions people might form based on the physicality of the person
and to see what new connections between looks and experiences may evoke.
PROCESS
a photo series of 200 inexistent people was created.
all faces are AI generated.
The images are brought to life using Deep Nostalgia™ and lipsynced using Wav2Lip.
I want to play with the sensation of being looked at by a stranger, the associations you may have. What does it make them feel to be watched?. Is telling stories through these "new" people any different than showing the people themselves?