03. Gemstones
GEMSTONES is a multi media installation, inspired by the darker side of gems and pretty stones. These stones are often mined unethically. Starting from my fascination and my own gemstone collection, which lead me to finding some horrifying facts about this world.
Working with sound and saltlamps the installation creates a peacefull atmosphere, but when the gong rings, the sound of the landslide takes over.
Working with sound and saltlamps the installation creates a peacefull atmosphere, but when the gong rings, the sound of the landslide takes over.
title: GEMSTONES
size: about 1,5M in width
video duration: 3:06
medium: 3x Full HD 24” screens, speakers, 2 salt lamps, humidifyer and incense sticks
size: about 1,5M in width
video duration: 3:06
medium: 3x Full HD 24” screens, speakers, 2 salt lamps, humidifyer and incense sticks
From left to right.
The first screen displays Afghanistan’s Emerald mines. The video shows the mineworkers at work.
The workers tell us that to get to the emeralds, they have to use explosives. Which often goes wrong. Eventhough it hardly pays enough for a living, they still risks their lives.
The middle screen displays a horrible event that happened in Myanmar in 2020. Because of the Jade mine in the region, there was a big gaping hole in the mountains. During the raining season there was a flood which caused a massive landslide, killing 160 people. In the video you can see them running for their lives.
The right screen displays a video in which one of the mineworkers is interviewed about working in the Sapphire mines on Madagascar. Which is a violent place, due to the demand from the western world. The mineworkers kill eachother over these gemstones. The man in the video tells us that not a week goes by without someone dying.
The first screen displays Afghanistan’s Emerald mines. The video shows the mineworkers at work.
The workers tell us that to get to the emeralds, they have to use explosives. Which often goes wrong. Eventhough it hardly pays enough for a living, they still risks their lives.
The middle screen displays a horrible event that happened in Myanmar in 2020. Because of the Jade mine in the region, there was a big gaping hole in the mountains. During the raining season there was a flood which caused a massive landslide, killing 160 people. In the video you can see them running for their lives.
The right screen displays a video in which one of the mineworkers is interviewed about working in the Sapphire mines on Madagascar. Which is a violent place, due to the demand from the western world. The mineworkers kill eachother over these gemstones. The man in the video tells us that not a week goes by without someone dying.