Video, 4K, 12 min, 2023

 

“Greenscreen” invites viewers on a mesmerizing journey through a vibrant tapestry of verdant hues. The video combines diverse plant backgrounds in an ever-evolving composition, creating a captivating display of green. We are familiar with green screens from television and film, where a green backdrop is replaced with digital environments in post-production. Timo Ullmann takes up this principle – but replaces the green screen with a red one, which he places in front of various plant backgrounds in gardens and parks. This screen serves as a canvas to add previous recordings. The video unfolds with each shot building upon the last one and the tangle of plants becomes ever denser, creating a lush composition of exotic greenery. The accompanying soundtrack creates an immersive experience, incorporating sounds from the surrounding environment outside the frame. As the video progresses, a deeper layer unfolds. The seemingly idyllic green spaces used as backdrops reveal their constructed nature. The introduction of elements like hoses, water tanks, and sprinkler systems point to the dependence on irrigation for maintaining these vibrant landscapes, subtly disrupting the initial impression of a tranquil paradise. The filming for “Greenscreen” took place in spring 2023 in Andalusia, one of the driest regions in Europe. While parks were being watered and swimming pools filled, a heatwave and record temperatures highlighted the scarcity of water and the changing climate.
As with other works from Ullmann’s “Screen Pieces” series, “Greenscreen” showcases a complex video composition, through playful experimentation with technology. The piece blurs the lines between analog and digital, between the grown and the edited, inviting viewers to question the constructed nature of reality.