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Forte!

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2010

Mark Lewis

Currently not on display
Acquired in 2011
Inventory number 2994

The Van Abbemuseum Collection consists of over 3400 artworks. We publish texts and images on an ongoing basis, but this record is currently in the process of being documented.

If you need specific information on this work or artist, remember that the Van Abbemuseum Library is at your disposal, or feel free to write to the library.

Description

Mark Lewis’ video 'Forte!' consists of a single sixminute recording without sound. We see the camera slowly probe a snow-covered mountain top in the Italian Alps. Like a menacing drone it descends towards a nearby nineteenth-century fortress ('Forte di Bard' in the Italian Aosta Valley). While the camera circles around the building and subsequently zooms out, we see inhabitants flee as if they are suddenly aware of a threat from above. What used to offer impeccable protection now appears to be completely vulnerable. In his work, Lewis researches how the environment influences human behaviour and how our awareness of it changes our self-image.

Context