Gan Eden
- Gan Eden, 2006
Niklas Goldbach
Germany / USA 2006
With: Niklas Goldbach, Viktor Neumann
Sound design: Christian Obermaier
Video, DV PAL, colour, sound, stereo, 10 min. 10 sec.
The second in a series of videos about changes in urban culture, GAN EDEN was filmed in 2005 in the pavillon of the Netherlands, built by MVRDV for the World EXPO 2000 in Hanover, Germany.
Meant as both a critique of consumer society and as an example of environmentally-sustainable architecture, the Dutch entry for the World's Fair was an exploration of the idea of limited space, engaged with the question of whether increasing population density can co-exist with an increase in the quality of life, and what role nature will play in that dynamic.
Abandoned at the end of the World EXPO, the pavillon has already fallen into disrepair. The video shows two men engaged in ambiguous movement, both walking and cruising, through the space of this decaying architecture. The sound of this video was created with the help of a foley artist and the sound design of Christian Obermaier.
The Biblical word "gan" (as in GAN EDEN) means "walled garden".
