One Pope after the other (2007)

A Video by Christoph Burtscher (Photos) and Gato Leiras (Sound)

When in 1978 three Popes - Paul VI, Johannes Paul I and Johannes Paul II – follow each other in short intervals, Christoph Burtscher, at the time a twelve year old boy, utterly fascinated by the ecclesiastical ceremonies, installs his photo camera in front of the TV and with the release button of the camera freezes the flow of TV-imagery on film. Decades later the re-discovered photographs - now full of streaks and drop-outs – the colours visibly fading, the freezing and passing of time creating a space, which enables a more distanced approach to the staging of religious events. The music is given the chance to distance itself from the original news recordings (the language, historical events) to stand for itself, a sung melody without past or future.

Working on a Miracle’ (2003)

Nine photographic attempts of HIV-Blood- and Saints by Christoph Burtscher

The nine HIV-Blood- and Saint images speak of personal hope for protection and healing, of mysterious but only temporary alleviation. Among other things, Christoph Burtscher is attempting to free the illness AIDS from the ‚Dictatorship of Meaning’ constructed around it. In ‚Working on a Miracle’ he criticises the religiously motivated approach which re-interprets the illness as (Gods) punishment. Burtscher reacts to this ominous attribution by working with figures from the Christian symbolism and system of belief. Patrons of the plague, like Christophorus and Sebastian, are firmly established within the repertoire of Roman-Catholic imagery and narrative tradition. He works with these two figures, but turns them against the perversion of the ecclesiastic power on interpretation, which continues to radiate deeply into society.