It’s naive to think that wars only happen far away.’
In Hospitality Bogomir Doringer confronts people with gripping stories about soldiers.
It’s naive to think that wars only happen far away.’
In Hospitality Bogomir Doringer confronts people with gripping stories about soldiers.
“My mother works in a hospital in Serbia. She told me that many young people die of cancer there. That seemed strange because it hardly ever happens in the Netherlands.” In Hospitality, Bogomir Doringer shows how the condition of soldiers who fought overseas, changes radically after they return home. Doringer finished his master’s in Film in September 2011. His graduation project Hospitality has been selected for the IDFA DocLab and will also be shown in other countries. That’s very positive, because: ‘Every opportunity to show my project feels like a next step.’
BOGOMIR & HOSPITALITY
Hospitality is not just gripping, it’s also an elaborate project. You’ve been working on it for years. How did it start? How did the project come about? And what motivates you?
“My mother works in a hospital in Serbia. She told me that many young people die of cancer there. That seemed strange because it hardly ever happens in the Netherlands. I investigated the matter and came into contact with soldiers from various countries. The syndromes these soldiers suffer from were given different names by the media: Gulf Syndrome, Balkan Syndrome… These labels identify each syndrome as a local problem. In Hospitality I want to show that these are not separate, local problems, but a common, global one. “
“My mother works in a hospital in Serbia. She told me that many young people die of cancer there. That seemed strange because it hardly ever happens in the Netherlands.” In Hospitality, Bogomir Doringer shows how the condition of soldiers who fought overseas, changes radically after they return home. Doringer finished his master’s in Film in September 2011. His graduation project Hospitality has been selected for the IDFA DocLab and will also be shown in other countries. That’s very positive, because: ‘Every opportunity to show my project feels like a next step.’
BOGOMIR & HOSPITALITY
Hospitality is not just gripping, it’s also an elaborate project. You’ve been working on it for years. How did it start? How did the project come about? And what motivates you?
“My mother works in a hospital in Serbia. She told me that many young people die of cancer there. That seemed strange because it hardly ever happens in the Netherlands. I investigated the matter and came into contact with soldiers from various countries. The syndromes these soldiers suffer from were given different names by the media: Gulf Syndrome, Balkan Syndrome… These labels identify each syndrome as a local problem. In Hospitality I want to show that these are not separate, local problems, but a common, global one. “
BOGOMIR & HOSPITALITY
Hospitality is behalve aangrijpend ook een omvangrijk project, je bent er al jaren mee bezig. Hoe is het begonnen? Hoe heeft het project gestalte gekregen? En wat motiveert je?
“Mijn moeder werkt in een ziekenhuis in Servië. Ze vertelde me dat er veel jongeren doodgaan aan kanker. Dat vond ik vreemd, want in Nederland gebeurt dat haast niet. Ik ben op onderzoek uitgegaan en in contact gekomen met soldaten uit allerlei landen. De syndromen waar deze soldaten mee kampen, krijgen van de media verschillende namen: Golfsyndroom, Balkansyndroom... De syndromen worden daardoor gelokaliseerd als probleem van een regio. In Hospitality wil ik aangeven dat het geen lokaal maar een globaal probleem is.”
“By portraying soldiers from different countries, I show the extent of the problem. Hospitality is about soldiers returning from war missions and dying from various kinds of cancer because they have been exposed to traces of ammunition, ammunition they have sometimes used themselves. The soldiers also speak for the people living in bombarded areas, people who are normally not interviewed because it’s impossible to get a visa for those areas.”
“The soldiers were allowed to say whatever they wanted for as long as they wanted. This generated a total of over 40 hours of material. The material I used in the installation has been edited and focuses mainly on personal experiences so people can identify with the soldiers telling the stories. In the installation there is also a sculpture made of ferrofluid, a fluid that responds to magnetic fields, which is used to detect cancer and to camouflage military objects. My installation also includes the medical files and personal possessions of soldiers, as well as biopsies that show an anomalous type of cancer. This caters to three groups of people: people looking for information, people who like metaphorical stories and people who want to be touched emotionally. “
“By portraying soldiers from different countries, I show the extent of the problem. Hospitality is about soldiers returning from war missions and dying from various kinds of cancer because they have been exposed to traces of ammunition, ammunition they have sometimes used themselves. The soldiers also speak for the people living in bombarded areas, people who are normally not interviewed because it’s impossible to get a visa for those areas.”
“The soldiers were allowed to say whatever they wanted for as long as they wanted. This generated a total of over 40 hours of material. The material I used in the installation has been edited and focuses mainly on personal experiences so people can identify with the soldiers telling the stories. In the installation there is also a sculpture made of ferrofluid, a fluid that responds to magnetic fields, which is used to detect cancer and to camouflage military objects. My installation also includes the medical files and personal possessions of soldiers, as well as biopsies that show an anomalous type of cancer. This caters to three groups of people: people looking for information, people who like metaphorical stories and people who want to be touched emotionally. “
[“War sounds like something that happens far away, in Iraq or Afghanistan for example, but the traces of ammunition create particles that can also end up in our food and drink. These particles form an interesting aspect of human destruction: they’re virtually invisible but present nonetheless. So it’s naive to think that wars only happen far away, and it’s fascinating to see how the weapons we use elsewhere eventually find their way back to us.”
BOGOMIR & THE FILMACADEMIE
You got the idea for Hospitality while you were at the Rietveld Academie and you developed it at the Filmacademie in the master’s Film program. How important are film and the Filmacademie in your work?
“I grew up in Yugoslavia where modern art is much less prevalent than film. Over there everybody knows and talks about film. Especially during the war, films played an important role. They were a way of escaping reality. I realize that in my art projects I imitate a cinematic way of telling stories. The only difference is that they take place in space and not on a screen.”
“At the Filmacademie I was allowed to try out new things, look for the right tools, question ethical frameworks. The master’s program offered me a protected zone, as it were, in which I could focus on the project. I didn’t have to rush and I was able to spend a lot of time doing research.”
BOGOMIR & THE IDFA
The IDFA has selected Hospitality for DocLab, a platform for new and innovative forms of digital storytelling. Does Hospitality fit this mould? And what do you expect from the audience?
“I told lots of people about my project because I wanted to know what others would think of it. DocLab’s curator Caspar Sonnen was immediately interested and invited me to show Hospitality during the IDFA festival. I’m glad people are willing to confront the subject. It’s a subject that urgently needs to be addressed. The IDFA offers opportunities to people who want to uncover hidden issues, which is why Hospitality fits so well in the program.”
“I see this kind of exhibition as an experiment rather than a finished product. I want to know how people react to the content I’m presenting, the choices I make, etc. I also hope that the information I provide will be spread and that the audience will provide input that allows me to progress. But above all, I hope that people will listen to the soldiers’ stories.”
BOGOMIR & BEYOND…
IDFA is not the final destination for Hospitality, but rather a beginning. Where will it go from here?
“Hospitality is a complicated project from a technical point of view as well. That’s why I’m looking for institutes that will offer the space and technical support to further develop the project. I’m going to show it at Platform 2, the new exhibition area of the NIMK and in museums in Germany, Austria and Singapore. Every opportunity to show my project feels like a next step.”
More about Bogomir Doringer: www.bogormirdoringer.com (online soon)
Text: Marie-Paule Fritschy, www.sterschrift.nl
Image: HOSPITALITY by Bogomir Doringer, www.bogomirdoringer.com
[“War sounds like something that happens far away, in Iraq or Afghanistan for example, but the traces of ammunition create particles that can also end up in our food and drink. These particles form an interesting aspect of human destruction: they’re virtually invisible but present nonetheless. So it’s naive to think that wars only happen far away, and it’s fascinating to see how the weapons we use elsewhere eventually find their way back to us.”
BOGOMIR & THE FILMACADEMIE
You got the idea for Hospitality while you were at the Rietveld Academie and you developed it at the Filmacademie in the master’s Film program. How important are film and the Filmacademie in your work?
“I grew up in Yugoslavia where modern art is much less prevalent than film. Over there everybody knows and talks about film. Especially during the war, films played an important role. They were a way of escaping reality. I realize that in my art projects I imitate a cinematic way of telling stories. The only difference is that they take place in space and not on a screen.”
“At the Filmacademie I was allowed to try out new things, look for the right tools, question ethical frameworks. The master’s program offered me a protected zone, as it were, in which I could focus on the project. I didn’t have to rush and I was able to spend a lot of time doing research.”
BOGOMIR & THE IDFA
The IDFA has selected Hospitality for DocLab, a platform for new and innovative forms of digital storytelling. Does Hospitality fit this mould? And what do you expect from the audience?
“I told lots of people about my project because I wanted to know what others would think of it. DocLab’s curator Caspar Sonnen was immediately interested and invited me to show Hospitality during the IDFA festival. I’m glad people are willing to confront the subject. It’s a subject that urgently needs to be addressed. The IDFA offers opportunities to people who want to uncover hidden issues, which is why Hospitality fits so well in the program.”
“I see this kind of exhibition as an experiment rather than a finished product. I want to know how people react to the content I’m presenting, the choices I make, etc. I also hope that the information I provide will be spread and that the audience will provide input that allows me to progress. But above all, I hope that people will listen to the soldiers’ stories.”
BOGOMIR & BEYOND…
IDFA is not the final destination for Hospitality, but rather a beginning. Where will it go from here?
“Hospitality is a complicated project from a technical point of view as well. That’s why I’m looking for institutes that will offer the space and technical support to further develop the project. I’m going to show it at Platform 2, the new exhibition area of the NIMK and in museums in Germany, Austria and Singapore. Every opportunity to show my project feels like a next step.”
More about Bogomir Doringer: www.bogormirdoringer.com (online soon)
Text: Marie-Paule Fritschy, www.sterschrift.nl
Image: HOSPITALITY by Bogomir Doringer, www.bogomirdoringer.com
BOGOMIR & DE FILMACADEMIE
Het idee voor Hospitality is ontstaan tijdens je afstuderen aan 
de Rietveld Academie en uitgewerkt op de Filmacademie, in
de master film. Welke rollen spelen film en de Filmacademie in jouw werk?
“Ik ben opgegroeid in Joegoslavië waar hedendaagse kunst veel minder dominant is dan film. Iedereen daar kent, praat en discussieert over films. Vooral in de oorlog speelden films een grote rol, ze vormden een manier om te ontsnappen aan de realiteit. Ik realiseerde me dat ik in mijn kunstprojecten een filmische manier van verhalen vertellen imiteer. Het enige verschil is dat ze plaatsvinden in de ruimte en niet op een scherm.”
“Op de Filmacademie mocht ik dingen uitproberen, de juiste tools zoeken, ethische frames bevragen… De master bood me als het ware een veilige zone waarin ik me kon richten op het project, ik hoefde me niet te haasten en kon veel tijd steken in het doen van research.”
BOGOMIR & HET IDFA
De IDFA heeft Hospitality geselecteerd voor DocLab, een platform voor nieuwe en onverwachtse vormen van digitale storytelling. Past Hospitality in dit stramien? En wat verwacht je van publiek?
“Ik heb veel mensen over mijn project verteld omdat ik nieuwsgierig was naar de mening van buitenstaanders. De curator van DocLab, Caspar Sonnen, was meteen geïnteresseerd en heeft me uitgenodigd om Hospitality te laten zien tijdens het IDFA. Ik ben blij dat er mensen zijn die de confrontatie met het onderwerp aan willen gaan, het is een urgent onderwerp. Het IDFA geeft een kans aan mensen die iets verborgens tonen en daarom past Hospitality goed in het progamma.”
“Ik zie zo’n soort expositie als testsituaties en niet als eindresultaat. Ik wil weten hoe mensen reageren op de content die ik presenteer, de keuzes die ik maak, etc. Verder hoop ik dat de informatie die ik geef, wordt verspreid en dat het publiek voor input zorgt waarmee ik verder kan gaan. Maar bovenal hoop ik dat de mensen naar de verhalen van de soldaten zullen luisteren.”
BOGOMIR & VERDER
IDFA is geen eindstation voor Hospitality, eerder een begin. Wat wordt de volgende bestemming?
"Hospitality is ook technisch een ingewikkeld project, daarom streef ik ernaar om instituten te vinden die me ruimte en technische ondersteuning willen geven om het project verder te ontwikkelen. Ik mag het in ieder geval al laten zien op Platform 2, de nieuwe expositieruimte van het NIMk, en in musea in Duitsland, Oostenrijk en Singapore. Elke kans om mijn werk te laten zien, zie ik als een volgende stap.”
Tekst: Marie-Paule Fritschy, www.sterschrift.nl
Beeld: HOSPITALITY door Bogomir Doringer, www.bogomirdoringer.com
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