Bitumenzeichnungen

Essay film, 2-channel video installation, stereo, contact speakers, 4K, 5min23'', 2021
Exhibition view: Pasquart Biel/Bienne, 2021

In processing the bitumen, the road builders follow a certain sequence of work steps and movements that, viewed in isolation, seem repetitive, like a ritual or prayer in which certain basic postures are repeatedly adopted. The artist sees the transformation of liquid into form in interaction with the cryptic movements of the workers as a formal reduction, whereby actions become gestures and image detail becomes drawing. This rhythm contrasts with the visual content of the second projection, in which Perler uses a drone to follow the color and shape of the bitumen drawings on the streets from a bird's eye view.

Text: Stefanie Gschwend, translated from german