"With factory work came the measurement of efficiency. Stopwatches were used to measure how long it took workers to complete each movement – best times became the goal for everyone. People were only considered in their function as working bodies. Donia Jornod uses multimedia to explore the theme of factory work: A video links avatars with text excerpts from old contracts that urge workers to live healthily because they are only valuable when they work. Workers also sabotaged the time clocks by deliberately working slowly. Silicone skins with shadowy figures spread across the room evoke the workers of a bygone era but also indicate a moment of resistance – hanging limp, lying on the floor, resting, they give form to idleness, taking up space in a place supposedly dedicated to efficiency."
Text by Sarah Wiesendanger
photos by Sebastian Lendenmann