In a broader sense, Stahel's current work "WHAT WE SEE, WE BELIEVE" also deals with the beginnings of the fascination for portable media.
In the late '80s, the Sony Watchman was invented, and watching TV suddenly became possible everywhere.
This initial fascination became a matter of course.
At least since the shutdown of analogue TV frequencies and the invention of the smartphone, these devices have become useless.
In a very time-consuming process, the artist cast analoge television sets, which he bought together from all over the world, into epoxy cubes.
The current installation contains twenty such cubes.
The preservation of the devices then no longer allows any manipulation. Just an external power connector to connect to
outside world remains.
An analog video signal can now be fed back to the televisions via a UHF transmitter.
In this installation, Stahel describes the dictatorial element of determining consumption without being asked for one's own opinion as
"ART PROPAGANDA"
The installation flickers on the viewer and takes away their self-determination, so that the viewer has no opportunity to change the program. She has to look at what is being projected.
What is fascinating is that the installation sees itself only as a medium of reproduction. The content is designed individually according to the topic.
The current programm is orginal footage showing the destruction currently happening in the Ukraine by the invaders.. This footage he gets from ukrainien soldiers or civile people send by "Telegramm" to him personally: "TV Potemkin; Mariopol"
The 20 televisions are symbolic placed as bricks on the floor, like the remains of bombed house.
