A fragment from the work series Becoming Unreal.

A fragment from the work series Becoming Unreal.

A fragment from the work series Becoming Unreal.

A fragment from the work series Becoming Unreal.

A fragment from the work series Becoming Unreal, which I will be showing as a 4-channel installation at the Videonale20 in the Kunstmuseum Bonn.

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Becoming Unreal is an open-ended body of work encompassing a multi-channel video installation, digital prints, a collection of objects, and a publication, all aimed at exposing the social, economic, and political fractures beneath the pristine facade of signature mega-architectural projects. The work delves into the intricate power dynamics of real estate and speculative finance, inspired by the concept of liquid contemporaneity—a condition of perpetual flux and uncertainty that mirrors the shifting landscapes of modern urbanism and the volatile nature of global markets.

The camera movement—crafted through polished CGI and deliberately artificial imagery—mirrors this fluidity, floating ghost-like across mega-architectures of Istanbul, such as modern mosques, the new airport, and hotels, all devoid of human presence. Their emptiness and apparent uninhabitability prompt us to question the relationship between these structures and the human bodies meant to occupy them. The work addresses the stark inequalities of the global property market and the invisible labor behind such mega-projects; the creation of these buildings is often marked by ›streamlined operations‹ designed to boost efficiency—automating tasks and reorganizing workflows—ultimately at the expense of the human bodies that bear the costs of this production. Becoming Unreal raises critical questions about the role of technology—represented by the 3D rendering aesthetic that defines the work—in shaping our perception of urban spaces and about the experiences of those who navigate those spaces. Ultimately, the work urges us to reconsider our relationship with architecture and the broader socio-economic structures that underpin it.

Vanina Saracino

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Supported by: Stadt Köln and Filmlab Düsseldorf

While originally used to denote entirely fictional substances, the term has evolved to include materials that exist but are exceptionally difficult to access or produce.

Configuration Drift is a series investigating the vast infrastructure of hyperscale data centers—massive processing hubs in a complex network, interconnected with mining corporations, water treatment systems, power plants, and GPU manufacturers.