Hungarian Pavilion – 55th Biennale di Venezia. June 1st – November 24th 2013

Artist: Zsolt Asztalos

Exhibition title: Fired but unexploded – A video installati on by Zsolt Asztalos

National commissioner: Gábor Gulyás

Venue: Giardini di Castello, Venice

1 June - 24 November 2013

Preview days: 29, 30 and 31 May 2013

The installation comprises twenty videos, each presenting an unexploded projectile found in Hungary. The vision of the destructive weapons, which hover in a homogeneous, indefinite space, is complemented with the sounds of the world around them, and thus the films open the way to new narratives. 

The inscription of the past into the future takes place in a group of works that use different media, including videos of unexploded bombs which resemble stills but for their fine movements, and a video that employs a different perspective (panorama projection). The latter, 9-minute film shows the present-day history or everyday functioning of the places where the unexploded bombs were once found. Built on places where danger is a physical reality, the present has transposed the unexpressed tensions and conflicts into the people who live there.

The website at www.fired-but-unexploded.com is an integral part of the installation: it not only provides further information on the exhibition, but also aims to create a worldwide map of conflicts with its interactive interface.

An application available for all smartphone platforms will guide visitors through the exhibition and will provide more information for those who want to further immerse themselves.