free port - moments of urban calmness

 

on one hand a 'free port' is the free trading zone of a harbour, where goods are being discharged, stocked, and again shipped. an area in which you sometimes can find a calmness within the daily unrest, but in which you may also feel a little bit lost. on the other hand you may read 'free port' as an open terminal of a computer, where you can plug-in other devices in order to widen your operative possibilities, or to get more information - actually, the real point of present unrest.

 

both readings merge in one idea: the openness and freedom within the moment of decision, how to use our huge possibilities. sometimes we linger here. within this brief hesitation, which also takes the lead in every creative act, comes the vision of the apparent infinity of worldliness. at this zero-point we become aware of the overwhelming, unattainable abundance of world and its sublimity. we get a glimpse from the positive end of melancholy.

 

life is motion and we have to step forward. and by cutting the world digitally into diminutive pieces we even widen our possibilities more and more. it's a risk and a chance at once. but, by keeping that zero-point in mind, we should be able to discover the beauty within all tiny things, within every marginal moment. text + visuals by axel bergk 2004