Seven deaths in Moscow

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2003
Video installation: 7 television sets, 7 VCRs, VHS tapes, closed-circuit playback, sound

The project was originally created for the 2003 Sao Paulo Biennale, whose theme was "Life in a Megalopolis." The work juxtaposes mundane and familiar views of Moscow with dreadful events that have happened, or could have happened, in these very same places.

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There are seven monitors; on each one plays a short video clip depicting a specific location or scene. In the background, sounds suggest death, even though the accidents or murders they evoke are not actually shown. Frightening sounds – fighting, screeching brakes, bursts of gunfire, etc. – alter the perception of the accompanying image, creating a disjunction between the footage and its soundtrack.

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The videos are shown sequentially – some monitors turn on while others go off.

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The work presents seven scenarios, each dealing with a different case study of urban violence or crime.

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Death of a Bum at Railway Station
There are 300 homeless people who freeze to death every winter.

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Murder of a Businessman
Several businessmen were killed by contract killers in front of the “Dolls” bar.

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Death on the Road
Every year 30,000 people die in traffic accidents.

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Rape of a Prostitute
Every fifth prostitute in Moscow has been raped.

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Terrorist Act on Kashirskoye Highway
Human casualties of the Moscow bombings in 1999 totalled 223 people.

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Fight in Gorky Park
There are currently about 150 young extremist gangs active in Moscow (non-official estimate).
In 2002 the street murder rate increased by 30 percent.

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Siege of White House
1,500 people were killed under siege of the White House in Moscow in 1993
(non-official estimate).

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