Reisefieber
Wojciech Doroszuk
2007
films
(3 films from the Reisefieber series: Sumela Restaurant, 6'30"; Cosy-Wasch, 5'40"; 2006/07, two-channel video, left channel: 8'23", right channel: 6'23")
Wojciech Doroszuk's project Reisefieber deals with the issue of economic migration. The artist sets out on a journey to Berlin to take on the role of a visitor from the East and get a job in service sectors usually dominated by immigrants. His experiences have resulted in films that tell a complex story about everyday, ordinary life in a foreign country, both in terms of paid employment and ways of spending free time. In every situation, however, the protagonist is depicted as a stereotypical stranger, who has no desire or possibility to become part of the local community. The video portraits are imbued with a sense of uncertainty, loneliness and anxiety. The word Reisefieber in the title describes the state of restlessness that manifests itself before a trip, which in the case of forced migration usually does not end with the journey, but can last for years: it is a state of permanent postponement of reaching the fullness and meaning of life for an indefinite period of time.