“Split Perspectives” depicts two major events held in the city of Split, Croatia: the St. Domnius Day’s procession and the LGBT Pride march. These two events reflect how a predominantly traditional Catholic community struggles with the increasing diversity of contemporary society.
The 17-centuries-old city of Split celebrates its patron saint every year in May, on St. Domnius Day, with a traditional festival which includes religious ceremonies and a major procession. It is the occasion when citizens of Split reaffirm their dedication to Catholicism, their cultural heritage and their traditional values.
In contrast to this traditional celebration, another event, which takes place in June, is LGBT Pride. A year after the first Pride march in Split was disrupted by violent groups, the second Pride march was anticipated with rising anxiety and controversy. Catholic Church officials said that the Gay Pride march was an “anti-procession” which is offensive to Christian values, and that believers do not have to tolerate such a mockery.
“Split Perspectives” documents two faces of the same place, by taking fragments out of a larger scene, and placing them together side by side, exploring their visual and contextual links. The resulting sequences of images are intended to draw the viewer to discover similarities and contrasts.
The reminiscences of the past violent riots are depicted as video stills, appropriated by photographing a computer monitor. By using a visual hyperlink (QR code) and a smartphone, the video still image becomes unfrozen in the hands of the viewer.
