Reichstag; Nude Against the Light




1993
Super-8mm black and white film 
transferred to video
silent 
Duration: 3’31”
Performance: 40 mins
Super-8mm Camera: Rachel Davies
Location: Berlin, Germany
Washing my hair crouched over a bowl of water of various durations is a performance that I have come to repeat in different places. It is the chosen location that gives meaning and context to this simple, routine action. This Reichstag performance took place in 1993 and took around 40 minutes. In the background you can see fragments of wall as a reminder to the city's past. Shampoo foam gently mingles with the February snow, as together they emit a white purity into clear, crisp winter air. 


Where the last remaining fragments of wall stand as a monument to the city's past, on the opposite side of the River Spree, I kneel on the steps over-hung with archways to wash my hair. Foam mingles with the snow, as together they emit a white purity into clear, crisp winter air.

People pass and do not see.
© Sophie Standford, 2025
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