Silke Weißbach

XTCN - OAIE - IMY, 2022
Video, 29.59 min (loop)

Correspondence 4/4, 2021 (green)
sugar, wax, peacock feathers, and phthalocyanine (green), led light
121 x 152 x 9 cm

June 2023, group exhibition at Bargehouse London, RCA Masters

XTCN - OAIE - IMY - for Oxytocin - Dopamine - I Miss You - is an installation consisting of a moving image work and a sculpture. The work was shown as part of my Master's degree from the Royal College of Art at Bargehouse, Oxo Tower in 2022 - after a two-year delaying process due to the coronavirus pandemic that kicked in in the last term of the final year and caused disruptions and redirections in ones life’s. The emotional landscape Weißbach was faced with navigating her fears and desires and also the ones of friends, families and strangers are reflected in this work. Weaving together the realms of human emotions, biochemical communication, natural beauty, and interconnectedness Weißbach explores the symbiotic relationship between human experiences and the natural world, reflecting on the profound impact that emotions and connections have on the intricate web of our multi-species relationships.

Created during the height of the pandemic, in a moment when intimacy became a form of commodity for our most natural need of belonging, this collage blends film footage encountered and consumed during the pandemic of various romantic and coming-of-age dramas mixed with shots of marine organisms and angiosperms. The video guides the viewer through diverse sensual environments of organic tissues, synthetic textures, alluring soundscapes, chemical transmissions, speaking tongues and interpersonal moments provided by sound, image and language.

Complementing the video-work is "Correspondence 4/4," a sculpture assembled using a mixture of sucrose (hard-crack), peacock feathers, wax, LED light, and phthalocyanine (green). Resembling an open landscape-like surface composed of cracks, liquids, and crystals.

Biodegradable and potentially ready to consume the sculpture symbolizes the fluidity, and transformation inherent in all living beings. It serves as a tangible representation of the interwoven nature of existence that automatically comes with feelings of desire, neglecting, and negotiations in times when we undergo phases of grief and scarcity, reflecting the ever-changing connections and influences that connect our lives.