REFUGING
HDvideo 38’, Alrlberg  2015

In „Refuging“ similar to a documentary on animal behaviour one can observe Michail Michailov in high alpine terrain. Whistling of the wind, gently tickling water now and then, chirping of birds intensify the impression of watching a naturestudie.
Wearing a white protective overall, representing a mixture between hill, mountain, tent or sort of hospice the artist rotates in alpine skiing equippement and thereby cuts a deeper and deeper circular track into the snow.
„Refuging“ seems to show a strange new way of locomotion, where Michailov, like in sports, stuggles with his surroundings and equippement,but during this process he also pauses and regains new strength to step forward another few meters.
The longer the spectator is watching this spectacle, the more touching this somehow funny fussing around seems to him. He only notices little by little the change of the area. Because of different camera settings he realizes only after some time, that the snow becomes lesser and lesser and finally copletetly dissappears before it starts snowing again. Michailov keeps this videopiece deliberatly open to let evreybody feel free to create new connections. Only through the title he links his work to the growing importance of refugee issues.When watching the video one is thrown back on ones own sensitivities while spinning around like a hamster in his wheel, no matter if you provide or seek refuge. This raises the question for a way out of such established patterns of behaviour.