help 134db

Emergencies appear astonishing. Not to be completely unprepared for such situations, one needs the security to be able to help oneself. As a child you are educated to call for help only in case of emergency, otherwise nobody believes you in case of danger any more. But how do you get the confidence to be heard in emergency, if you have never trained to scream for help? Maybe therefore, the fear of “not to be able to scream” is a component of collective dreams. The video installation help_134dB animates people of different generations to force themselves to call for help in public space. The protagonists scream just once and not in emergency situations, but out of their own impulse. They are asked to break with the rules from their childhood. The most important thing is not only the individual language of a shout for help, but especially the moment of concentration, the strain and maybe also the fear of exposure and revelation. The moment after the scream testifies from huge relief to have overcome the threshold fear, linked with euphoria and nearly childish joy. The colossal projection stresses the subtle facial expression and gesture of the protagonists.  The video installation is consciously placed in public space, because it should tear out the passer-by from his daily grind, as an unexpected emergency situation. Which meaning does a shout for help have in public space? Does anybody hurry for help or has the oversaturation with frightening pictures in mass media already led to an emotional blunting?