Corvus corone cornix, the hooded crow, is not just any old crow. It is an indicator of east and west. Because the various crow families have divided up Europe among themselves, we only encounter hooded crows east of the Elbe, where – like their western relatives – they inhabit border regions between populated districts and the countryside as followers of civilisation.
When the Dutch artist Roderick Hietbrink crossed over the former border of the old political blocks on his way to a guest studio in Berlin, he also moved from the habitat of the carrion crow to the territory of the hooded crow, and this is a detail of his research into urban space which plays an important part in his Berlin installation.
Hietbrink’s new installation “Corner Corone” consists of video projections and sound sources showing the audience the interior of an empty Berlin office block. Nothing much happens in this unused, unfurnished space. A few movements, diffuse shadows passing by and changes in the light visualise the passing of time rather than firmly outlined events, while subtle quadrophonic sound enables us to presume or recognise events outside the space.
In this way, Hietbrink investigates the extent to which our experience of space can be manipulated and how familiar urban surroundings may be given a fresh interpretation. The viewer’s perception alters according to his perception of details. Controlled addition of insignificant changes redirects his attention. Corvus corone cornix thus becomes the audience’s perspectival partner, and we experience an unexpected encounter with the hooded crow.
