I was inspired to look into the single-channel video installation called “Traces of Exile” by Dutch photojournalist Tomas van Houtryve. He used hundreds of photographs on social media which were taken by refugees along their journey from their home country to Europe. He overlaid those “digital breadcrumbs” (van Houtryve, 2017) on slow motion videos that he took of the actual sites the photos were taken.
Van Houtryve (2017) explained that the inspiration for his project was found in the ongoing crisis in the Middle East. The crisis uprooted millions of people, but new technology and social media allow them to keep connected to their home communities and loved ones. The essential travel companion of the 21st century is the smartphone: There are apps that help migrants to navigate, stay in touch with others or document their daily lives. Van Houtryve retraced the refugee trail through Europe in 2016, capturing the intersection of the refugees’ online presence and the location of their exile (van Houtryve, 2017).
Tomas van Houtryve (2016) Traces of Exile. 14 November. Available at: https://vimeo.com/191228844 (Accessed: 09 November 2019).
I like the questions that inevitably come to mind when looking at van Houtryve’s artwork: How does the life of refugees in exile differ from their online presence? How do they want to appear to their family and friends? Where are the differences between how they are depicted in the media and how they portray themselves?
In addition to the fascinating content, the installation was a great inspiration to my own work for the Illuminate festival. The way that different media is used is amazing: I like how the artist mixed up videos with still images. I want to do the same thing in my Illuminate project.
van Houtryve, T. (2017) Traces of Exile. Available at: https://tomasvh.com/works/traces-of-exile/ (Accessed: 09 November 2019).
header photo: van Houtryve, T. (2017) Traces of Exile. Available at: https://tomasvh.com/works/traces-of-exile/ (Accessed: 09 November 2019).
Documentation of MEDI512 "Experiment" 