Alexander Lorenz
Alexander Lorenz is a visual artist and filmmaker. He studied photography and film studies in Germany, Great Britain and Spain. His work has been exhibited and screened since 2005 and he works in film and video production since 2007. Lorenz is co-founder and co-curator for Ausstellungsraum Volker Bradtke in Düsseldorf, Germany.
Von der Ordnung der Gesellschaft / Of the Order of Society | Germany 2013 | Video | 12 min 30s
Shot in a prison located in Düsseldorf, Germany, inaugurated in 1893, and considered modern in its day the filmmaker gained remarkable access to the now abandoned site. With all locks and technical installations removed, Of the Order of Society was filmed whilst accompanied by a voluntary guide, an ex-warden who used to work in that very prison. Shot formally to reflect the architecture of the space, the film is set to an adapted text from German Penal Law. Replacing the words “inmates” with “citizens”, and “prison” or “institution” with “society” affects greatly in extending from ‘inside’ the penal system to ‘outside’, society in general. The complete absence of human bodies may evoke projected reflections on day-to-day power relations. – MN