Iris - video loop installation

Iris is a series of works developed from the fascination with a building in Paris. The building is the Institut du Monde Arabe designed by Jean Nouvel and built in 1987. The south facade of the building consists of 240 glass panels of apertures that can open and close. The apertures are all "looking" towards the Arabic countries and were designed to let constant amount of light into the building. However the electronic mechanism that was to control the apertures is not working properly so the apertures open and close at random times in various patterns. This event is hardly noticed by visitors or passers by.
Iris is part of a series of video works that try to engage the viewer in a state of looking, and to capture and draw attention to otherwise unnoticed events. The works are usually installed in a particular way in order to allow the viewer to draw attention to the way of looking. It was first the idea to try and make photographs with a video camera, but has rather become an investigation of the image and the nature of looking. The video works are thought of as animated photographs where duration makes small events take on meaning.