Illegal POV

Video Installation | 2017

"Illegal POV" is a video installation that showcases the daily toil of three illegal fishermen on the Caspian Sea. In the foreground, a CRT security monitor displays a contrasting scene in low-quality video: a low-paid worker meticulously cleaning fish in a kitchen in Rasht, Iran. The artist has traced the journey of the fish from sea to kitchen, a narrative captured after spending four hours at sea with the fishermen.

The stark disparity in video quality creates an unsettling effect, engaging the audience on a visceral level. This sensation is intensified by a surround sound system that envelops the viewer in the ambient sounds of both environments. The installation intentionally disrupts the viewer's expectations through the stark juxtaposition of high-definition and low-quality imagery.

Furthermore, the contrasting scale and quality of the two videos act as a temporal bridge, drawing past events into the immediacy of the present as they unfold in real time. "Illegal POV" invites viewers to reflect on the disparities and connections between different facets of labor and life.