Cecilia Stenbom
About this work
SYSTEM is a film about anxieties, irrational behaviour and the quest for control in a non-domestic space. Set entirely inside a shopping centre, the film follows the interactions between two sisters; one anxious about her personal safety, the other concerned with the invisible threat of infection. The sterile atmosphere of the environment quickly becomes menacing as the women’s personal safety systems begin to fail. The film is developed out of a series of one-to-one interviews with members of the public about everyday behaviors and habits in communal spaces. Interviewees were encouraged to talk about their own experiences, routines and preferences within the framework of everyday situations such as: seat selection, personal security measures, hygiene practices, interactions with other people and unacceptable behaviour. Starting point for this film was to create psychological thriller set in a shopping centre, turning the everyday and mundane into a minefield of terror. Playing with the lure of the practical, streamlined and franchised world of indoor shopping areas against the quest for a more independent consumerism among the comfortable middle classes. Cecilia Stenbom 2014