danube - the road of emperors and kings
2024, video, 7:20 min
This video collage takes a critical look at the business of river cruises on the Danube,
which is advertised as "The Road of Emperors and Kings" due to the river's historical past.
Using music, humour and fractured images, the video breaks the expectation of a 'royal'
journey and shows how the perfect image of travel and exploration fades into something flat
and commercial. The work asks questions about the bigger picture of mass tourism: Do we want
to be closer to kings and emperors - because we are interested in history or because we want
to be one ourselves? Do we really connect with the cultures of the countries we visit, or do
we act as conquerors, collecting photographs instead of countries?
