Crossing the Border / Wwweast

video (excerpt), 13:10 min / adhesive film on glass

The work Wwweast refers to the various virtual, mental and geopolitical directions of our country nowadays: Where are we heading?

The video Crossing the Border is a record of the crossing of Slovak-Austrian border from Bratislava Petrzalka in Slovakia to Kittsee in Austria. During the socialist period, this border crossing, one of relatively few possible transition points to Western Europe, was strictly guarded. Those who wanted to escape from the communist dictatorship to Western Europe were risking their his lives in the attempt. The lower part of the video shows the names of individuals convicted under §109 between 1977 and 1989 who emigrated or tried to emigrate. Over 400 people emigrated annually in those years, and the names and dates of birth of 900 of these people are recorded in the video.

Source: Institute of the Memory of the Nation.