Silbersee

The work Silbersee slowly but steadily unveils a story of human impact on the Earth from a lake’s perspective. Originally, at the end of the 19th century, Silbersee (meaning ‘silver lake’) was a coal-mine and fuelled the industrial development in the area. Throughout the 20th century it was used as a wastewater deposit by the surrounding factories, becoming the most contaminated place in Germany by the 1990s.

The black and white photographs that replace and overlap each other on the screen were taken in 1998 and 1990 (just before German reunification) by Dr Fred Walkow, a scientist at Agfa-Orwo in Bitterfeld, former East Germany. While conducting research in order to find a substitute for the silver component of film, he became increasingly obsessed with photographing the Silbersee lake. Dr Walkow described it as an overwhelming presence in the lives of the inhabitants surrounding the lake, and held it responsible for his own crisis when he moved to the area. The text on the photographs contemplates the slow violence of chemical contamination.

Alexandra Navratil (born 1978 in Zurich, Switzerland) lives and works in Amsterdam. The artist often begins her research in the archives of film or photography, moving from the formal qualities of image towards the narrative and the social, political and economic circumstances that underlie its creation.

She has recently shown at the Frieze, New York; TENT, Rotterdam; de Appel arts centre, Amsterdam; Institute of Contemporary Art in Philadelphia and the MUSAC (Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Castilla y Leon) in Spain, among other venues. She has received various prizes for her work, including the Canton of Zurich's Manor Price (2013), the Swiss Art Award (2009 and 2012), and the Prix Mobilière Young Art (2009). She was artist-in-residence at ISCP (International Studio and Curational Program) in New York and at the Irish Museum of Modern Art in Dublin. In 2007 she received her MFA in Fine Art from Goldsmiths College, London. She teaches at the Basel Academy of Art and Design.

Organizers: Riga Photography Biennial in cooperation with Latvian Centre for Contemporary Art

Image: Alexandra Navratil, from the Silbersee (video HD (video stills), 11’30’’, sound, 2015