Big Fish Eats Little Fish

Piotr Flądro’s work was a video installation shown on a small screen inside a sizeable freight container. The video registered a microscopic image of microorganisms moving in a chemical suspension that were joining together or devouring each other. They came from the Oder, taken in a water sample. The soft, pulsating and organic image only seemingly contrasted with the hard, unmoved, geometric shape of the container. By juxtaposing the two elements, Flądro emphasised a certain analogy: both in the world of microorganisms and people, connections and networks are made, new ‘tissues’ are created only to be later destroyed and broken down so that new ones emerge. The presence of a freight container drew attention to international trade, global exchange of goods and capital. In this world, financial sharks compete with each other, and each of us is simultaneously the bait and food, a small fry which the whole game is about.

> Michał Bieniek

photo: Justyna Fedec