Welcome to my portfolio

Disappearing Rural Villages / installation

The audio-visual project by VS.hu "The Back of Beyond" was exhibited in 2015 in Telep Gallery, as a part of the series of exhibitions in Budapest, called OFF-BIENNALE. Collaborating with curator Zsuzsanna Stánitz, further interviews were added to the material, and a special print was prepared by Árpád Szigeti / Hurrikan Press.

Disappearing Rural Villages / Based on the Project “The Back of Beyond” by VS.hu (Az Isten Háta Mögött)
Inspired by the report of the Hungarian Central Statistical Office (KSH) released in April 2014 titled ’Settlements on the Edge of Existence’ the online news portal VS.hu published an audio-visual infotainment site to help the understanding of the phenomenon. As matter of concern the report discussed 60 villages where the population decreased by 50% between the two latest census records. The original series of 1-2 minute long videos are presented as the centrepoint of the exhibition encapsulating the impressions of the team gathered through visiting 20 of the concerned villages. For the occasion of OFF-Biennial further interviews have been commissioned to provide an additional layer of understanding. The project presented at Telep Gallery stems from a complex collaboration of creative individuals, artists and experts. The fact that the project is now displayed in an exhibition context aims to contribute to prevalent debates of contemporary art.
The pictures and impressions one is left with after watching the documentary-project ’The Back of Beyond’ are ambiguous. An image of a memorial plaque for a town that no longer exists, ’For Sale’ signs on abandoned houses or a goods van driving around the villages providing food supplies. With time you understand the underlying complexity of these moments referring to topics such as the lack of employment opportunities, feelings of prejudice or xenophobia, sometimes the desire of isolation amongst the inhabitants of the concerned villages.
Exhibition
  Curator: Stánitz Zsuzsanna
Organising institution: Telep Galéria

The Back of Beyond
Máté Bartha – director-cinematographer
Krisztián B. Simon – reporter and text
Olivér Lebhardt – editor
Csilla Orosz – video editor
Ábris Gryllus – art director
Miklós Szörényi - developer
Márk Bartha – music
Zoltán Ká – cinematographer
Others contributing to the implementation of the project “The Back of Beyond”: Mátyás Demeter, Ádám Szedlák, István Kormos, Szabolcs Szabó (ELTE), Tibor Béres (Autonómia Foundation),  László Jeney (Corvinus University)

Cooperating partners:
VS.hu, Telep Galéria, Budapest Bägel, Kitchen Budapest, Hurrikan Press, Club Mate
ORIGINAL VIDEOS
SOUNDTRACK
EXHIBITION VIEWS
↑Back to Top