Illegal POV

Video Installation | 2017

"Illegal POV" is a video installation that shows the daily toil of three fishermen on the Caspian Sea in full HD quality video. In the foreground, a CRT security monitor presents a contrasting scene in low-quality video: a low-paid worker meticulously cleaning fish in a kitchen in the city of 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 generates an unsettling effect, engaging the audience on a visceral level. This sensation is intensified by a four-channel 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" not only documents a journey but also invites reflection on the disparities and connections between different facets of labor and life.