Neighbours

2009, 60 x 85 cm, double-sided print on acrylic glas

exhibition view: Kunsthalle Graz (AT), 2021

According to the logic of the Broken Windows theory published by Kelling and Wilson in 1982, the state of public space is a self-fulfilling prophecy. The theory surmises that a broken window is enough to induce further neglect, vandalism or even violent crime. Where the public’s view of order is supposed to be blurred, decay will take on a life of its own. Such latent processes seldom enter a city’s collective consciousness, as blurring is inherent due to their processuality.

In „Neighbors“, Julia Gaisbacher examines an informal bulky waste for a month next to her flat in Dresden. The daily appearance and disappearance of the trash is captured with a picture every day. „Neighbors“ consists of three selected photographs printed on transparent foil and put on top of each other to illustrate the continuous change of the bulky waste and the place itself.