Inge Miczka – Crossing
An audiovisual wall installation about longing, loss, and global realities
In my two-part wall installation Crossing, I explore the ambivalence between places of longing and the stark reality of human need. The work combines a video element with a sculptural object piece made of driftwood – collected along the Mediterranean coast of Croatia.
The video shows various shots of the beach, the sea, and the horizon, accompanied by original sound: waves, gulls – sounds that immediately evoke associations of calm, vastness, and escape. What initially seems like a romanticized gaze at the sea soon reveals itself as a subtle disruption: while the audio plays in real time, the visuals unfold in slow motion. This disjunction – the separation of sound and image – unsettles our familiar modes of perception. Something feels off. And that sense of disquiet is an intentional part of my artistic strategy.
As the film progresses, fragments of wood begin to drift into the frame. They are real finds from the Croatian coast – washed ashore, forgotten, open in meaning. I collected them, brought them back to Germany, and transformed them into a sculptural form: a fragmented square, mounted as a wall object. This square – traditionally a symbol of shelter, home, and safety – becomes in my work a metaphor for loss, fragility, and the hope of finding a new place to belong.
The installation addresses themes of displacement, statelessness, and the precarious balance between desire and reality. The beach – so often a site of idyllic tourism – is turned into an image on the edge: for some, a place of leisure; for others, a final hope – or the endpoint of a fatal journey. The work poses the question: What traces do global movements of forced migration leave in places we tend to romanticize?
With Crossing, I aim to create a space for reflection and resonance – not through direct confrontation, but through subtle ruptures in image, material, and form. My artistic approach blends the aesthetics of the everyday with found objects and biographical research to create emotionally accessible connections to socially urgent issues. The use of authentic materials is just as central to my practice as the conscious play with perception, disruption, and association.
I see my work as an open invitation to look closely – and to think further: beyond borders, beyond screens.
