[exegesis] // the spectral quality of violence
Spectral Concept
Colombia, 2022
Before travelling to Germany, I was developing a project titled Los Ojos del Diablo (The Devil’s Eyes), which focused on the ways in which certain physical spaces within the geography of Bogotá were tied to events of violence in the country’s history. During the workshop "Cartografía experimental, mediante experiencias visuales y sonoras" by the Escuela de Mediación Red Galeria Santa Fé in Bogotá, I produced a prototype using 360º photographs of a street called Calle del Fantasma (Ghost's Street).
Germany, 2022
My interest in spectral concepts and visible forms of violence began to expand upon arriving in Germany and experimenting with different technologies that allowed me to materialize many of my ideas. I sought to make use of knowledge I had acquired to develop a project with 360º video, photogrammetry and generative artificial intelligence. Conceptually, I was continuing my research into the motives and origins of violence in Colombia, shifting from the study of independent cases to crimes against humanity.
The very different technical materials that I wanted to work with also forced me to consider new concepts intertwined with violence. I began reading about how conflict affects bodies and territories, until I encountered information regarding national and generational traumas and how these emerge like ghosts in every moment of a nation’s history.
Germany, 2024
I became interested in the dualism of the Spanish word Espectro, its double meaning in English (specter and spectrum) and the way in which ideas such as war are spectral in both senses: they inhabit a shifting continuum while at the same time their presence is a void. War specters, war spectra. As above, so below. I reflected on how personal traumas are treated, what experimental treatments are offered to people who have suffered traumatic violent attacks, whether psychological or spiritual. I remember reading a text describing the importance of rituals as the weaving of the social fabric, and massacres as an anti-ritual that tears it apart. This somewhat metaphysical exploration allowed me to establish a more sensitive connection with the subject of violence.
Germany, 2025
The first text that gave me conceptual clarity about where I wanted to head was "Matar, Rematar y Contramatar" by María Victoria Uribe, a Colombian anthropologist with extensive experience in what she calls the aesthetics of horror, an approach to themes that can often be difficult to address in common discourse because of their violent, dark or crude nature. She writes about victims and perpetrators of massacres, torture and disappearances, about bodily dismemberment and mass graves, forensic anthropology and criminal psychology.
Her approach made it possible for me to distance myself from the usual ways in which these issues are talked about, helping me recognize that from my own position I was also interested in a more analytical perspective. Uribe’s texts deepened my desire to learn more about the work of anthropologists, and especially of forensic anthropologists who must engage directly with these cases.
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That is how I found Jaime Castro, a forensic anthropologist with over 28 years of experience at the Colombian Attorney General’s Office, working on cases of enforced disappearances across the country. With him I had three virtual meetings where we spoke about his story, his profession and his views on violence.
My aim at that point was to find the best way to connect my research with the experiences he shared. And thanks to those conversations, I was able to concentrate more on the process and methodology of investigating disappearances, the exhumation of victims and subsequent identification.
However, I also needed to understand more clearly how theory could be articulated with the practice I wanted to pursue. For that, I researched the PRIF institute (Peace Research Institute Frankfurt), where they research different projects focus on conflict studies and strategies for peacebuilding worldwide. There, I spoke with Professor Dr. Jonas Wolff, head of Intra-State Conflict research department and professor of political science at Goethe University Frankfurt, with a focus on Latin American conflicts.
In two exchanges, Jonas helped me grasp the scale of the problem of violence not only in Colombia but across the continent and how disappearances play a role as symptoms of destabilizing situations that fracture social agreements. He also explained the importance of transitional justice and peace processes initiated not only by governments but also by communities themselves. Finally, he put me in contact with a colleague at the same institute, Dr. Larissa-Diana Fuhrmann.
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Larissa-Diana is a researcher in the Glocal Junctions department of PRIF with their project Conflict and Art: The Transformative Potential of Aesthetic Practices. My conversation with her gave me a clearer direction for the type of project I wanted to develop because I had previously been unsure of my focus. Should I speak from the position of the victims? Should I speak from the position of the perpetrators? She helped me realize that I needed, and wanted, to speak from my own position as an artist.
With this in mind, I began to design different conceptual proposals focusing on three key elements that Jaime had emphasized as central to his work: the understanding of the direct victim and their body, the clothing and objects found on the moment of the discovery, and the territory or physical spaces where the cases take place.
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Spectral Development
Germany, 2025
After the conceptualization stage, I was clear about the themes I wanted to address, nevertheless, I was still searching for the how.
My artistic experience allowed me to appreciate the importance of exploring violence through images but in seeking to create a physical installation, I also needed to engage with the materiality of those images.
In this case, with the guidance of my supervisors, I was able to map out the possibilities of the installation in a more practical way. And although in this text I separate production from development, in reality both were always in constant dialogue since every technical test and rehearsal was simultaneously connected with the theoretical and practical recommendations of my supervisors and other external advisors.
My first supervisor, Professor Martin Schwember helped me comprehend how to materialize concepts that can often be abstract into an installation with physical elements, and how these elements could interact with the public. Meanwhile, my second supervisor, artist Florian Adolph guided me in taking ownership of my own creative practice by showing me different interpretative paths to translate my knowledge in audiovisual arts into a clearer and more confident expression within the installation.
Thanks to them, I was able to consolidate my ideas and define that the installation should have a strong video and visual component while at the same time generating a mixture of media that would show a clear intention through the images represented.
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During this process, I continued deepening my interest in the concept of liminality, and just as I understood enforced disappearance as a crime that turns violence into a specter, I also sought ways to play with the relationship between science, forensic anthropology, art and culture. I wanted the installation to become a kind of scientific gamified ritual.
In this exploration, I looked for artistic references that had dealt with similar issues in their own projects and found Dr. Anne Huffschmid, artist, researcher and professor at the Free University of Berlin, who works on projects about violence and social memory in Latin America. In my conversation with her, I was able to visualize how phenomena such as enforced disappearances and its investigative processes are studied through new media and the arts.
Her works, especially the interactive web documentary Forensic Landscapes, became a practical reference for approaching violence from a forensic perspective through the work of professionals and victims in Mexico, and it also encouraged me to seek out my own perspective in this process.
As I ventured in different techniques, I became interested in the way each carried a particular aesthetic quality. For this reason, I wanted to work with three specific forms. In audiovisual work, the aesthetic quality is often relegated to contemplation, the audience watches an image and listens to a sound in a passive manner. In contrast, with 360º elements or virtual reality an additional layer of interaction and immersion is added: the audience can decide, within limits, what to look at. Finally, altered live images of the audience also fulfil an interactive function, though one more closely related to self-reflection, a mirror like quality.
This comprehension of each format allowed me to break down my process and expectations to apply different systems, sometimes from installative art and sometimes from gaming experiences.
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I decided to divide the format into these three categories so they would align with the triad of conceptual elements that Jaime had told me were keys to his work: the body, the objects and the ground. Therefore, before constructing any kind of narrative or guiding device, I chose the methods I would use for each representation.
The Body: Live feed of the audience with a visual effect.
The Objects: 360º video animation for VR.
The Ground: 360º filmed video shown on a flat screen.
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Spectral Production
Germany, April 2025
After gaining an initial familiarity with the tools I could use and the results they could produce, I was able to define the general aesthetic I wanted to work with, one influenced by forensic aesthetics found in design and popular culture: cold greenish and bluish tones, investigative and cybernetic elements related to crime, traces, fingerprints, analysis and negative images.
This approach led me to shape the content I wanted to create around the idea of simulation. Although my aim was to address a real serious phenomenon, I wanted to approach it from a different perspective. While researching didactic and gaming design practices, I became interested in thinking of the installation as a kind of blueprint or guideline, not to explain or educate, but to understand the methodologies of forensic anthropologists and thereby avoid focusing on specific and real cases.
This generated an aspect of gamification, but its intention was above all to break down the actions of a simulated process and make its components visible.
Germany, May 2025
The first element that I began working on was the one that did not require any additional material: the body. I had previously worked with TouchDesigner, a real-time interactive multimedia software and I was drawn to the program’s stylistic possibilities as well as the ease of its use though a node-based programming system.
With the help of tutorials, online resources and AI models, I started experimenting with live effects using my personal computer and its built-in camera.
I decided to create an interactive element that could connect directly with the audience representing the final stage of the forensic process: the genetic material analysis and the identification of the victim. Although it is only a representation, its purpose is to bring people closer to recognizing the data, information and material collected during the process in order to decipher the identity of exhumed bodies. This is a stage in which anthropologists and investigators must work hand in hand with technology to achieve positive results.
Part of the project’s aim is to make visible the arduous forensic work carried out to identify victims of enforced disappearance, the tools used to re-visualize a presence that had been stolen through the crime committed. This recognition element was developed through different iterations: testing blob tracking and negative effect, traces and data, visual add-ons and improvement.
Germany, June 2025
Throughout the production process, I had two additional calls with Jaime, who guided me in structuring a framework for the investigation of an enforced disappearance case, including exhumation and identification. Together, we created a table that served as the basis for the video piece of The Ground. At first, I considered developing a dance exercise to represent the process. However, as the research evolved, new elements began to emerge that allowed for a different conception of what I wanted to observe. Beyond a purely poetic audiovisual treatment, the information revealed a certain beauty in a more technical approach.
The steps narrated by Jaime pointed to something beyond instructions, beyond the manual or the guide. Each action represented a step toward understanding the victims in a more human way. This might sound contradictory to the use of technical audiovisual language, but after reading about cognitive and compassionate empathy, I realized that empathy can indeed emerge through instructional processes. These processes are part of an educational model that encourages the individual to assume a specific position and to place themselves in someone else’s world after gaining knowledge of their situation.
If the audience can grasp the arduous work of forensic anthropologists, they may begin, even if only briefly, to see through their eyes: to perceive the victims as people whose identity is meant to be restored, renamed, and returned. To see through the eyes of an expert, even for an instant, can provide a moment of clarity.
For the recording of this video, I rented a studio at the Media Campus Dieburg, Hochschule Darmstadt, prepared the set elements and technical equipment, and together with two friends (Adriana Delgado and Max Leiding) and an actor (Atahualpa Curmen), we carried out the filming using a 360º Insta360 X3 camera over the course of two days.
Germany, July 2025
After the filming, the 360º material of The Ground was stitched in Insta360 Studio and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro. Several tests with effects and color grading were carried out to create a consistent style across all the elements of the installation. In addition, the music used here and in The Objects was composed by Juan Sebastian Sisa in Colombia.
Subsequently, work began on the final element, The Objects, an animated video designed to be experienced through VR headsets. The purpose of this format was to offer the audience an immersive experience of the investigation.
The idea was to create a virtual space in a 3D application, Blender in this case, taking as reference the forensic aesthetic of the 1990s. With the support of Kasra Mani and Yalda Jalilvand, a simulated environment was generated, and 3D models of the clothing used in the filming of The Ground were added to the space to show a recreation of a machine analysis while a narration described them.
I wrote the narration based on Jaime’s notes, as well as by searching for isolated cases of disappeared persons, and it was performed by Laura Cerón. Finally, 360º videos were exported from Blender and edited in Adobe Premiere Pro.
Colombia, July 2025
At the beginning of this project, I had only planned to work with the three previously mentioned elements. However, after receiving financial support from AStA of Hochschule Darmstadt, I designed a fourth component that would function as an appendix to the installation: an interview with forensic anthropologists.
The narration for The Ground was originally intended to be recorded in Spanish by the anthropologist Jaime, who is based in Colombia. I decided to take advantage of this opportunity to record the narration and at the same time, conduct a short interview with him using a 360º camera, so that the video could also be experienced through VR headsets.
Since I was unable to travel to Colombia for this purpose, I requested the support of a small group of friends and filmmakers in Bogotá (Juan Bohórquez, Sofía Salinas and Juan Sebastián Sisa) who organized and carried out the filming of the interview with Jaime and another forensic anthropologist, María Alejandra Mariño.
The session took place in a single day at the Teatro Faenza, also known as Teatro de la Paz, a venue provided by the Universidad Central. The material was later sent to me, where I completed the same stitching and editing process.
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Spectral Implementation
Germany, July 2025
Before obtaining all the final material, I also needed to test the physical component of the work. I had to take the objects into my own hands and explore how they could be arranged within the installation. I had previously discussed this with my supervisors, both of whom gave me valuable and balanced input that encouraged me to move away from an overly designed space and towards a more abstract play of forms.
The limitation of rented equipment actually helped me narrow down the possibilities more efficiently. Looking at what I had, I realized that much of the equipment was meant for audiovisual and photographic productions, and because of my background, I knew how these could be reimagined. I like thinking that, just as in the forensic simulation process I wanted to represent, the objects one finds in a television or photography studio also speak of representation, they are tools to shed light on something, on a scene. By bringing these behind-the-camera objects into the center and giving them symbolic value, I was able to connect them with the images I had already produced.
A black fabric flag, normally used to block light, was transformed to its own function, it became an empty, lightless space, a kind of sculptural totem, an analogy to the disappeared bodies that leave a void in society.
A square frost frame, used to diffuse light, became a symbol of identification and the act of making data visible. I used it as a projection screen for The Body, where the audience could see themselves from both sides.
Five monitors placed on the floor around the totem, each showing five perspectives of the same action from The Ground.
Finally, two VR headsets: one for The Objects placed near the center, and another for the interviews, set off to the side.
The installation was implemented and exhibited in the Schauraum, and I carried out two preliminary tests on how the objects should be arranged, and then set up the installation over the course of two days. For the exhibition, a poster and flyer design were created by Max Leiding, as well as a map of the space with relevant information for visitors.
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Spectral Aftermath
Germany, August 2025
I must admit that having carried out the installation and being able to witness firsthand how people interacted with it filled me with a deep sense of pride. Talking with the visitors and understanding from which position they interpreted what they were seeing allowed me to validate my hypothesis: that art can, indeed, create a resonance in the other that vibrates and reaches their perceptions affecting their sense of empathy.
During the experience, I invited visitors to complete an online survey to evaluate the impact of the installation. The feedback gathered both quantitative and qualitative data, addressing topics such as:
Clarity of the message: Whether the audience comprehended the relationship between forensic anthropology and peacebuilding.
Emotional impact: The degree of empathy generated.
Technical experience: Comfort and ease of use of the equipment.
Educational value: Whether the installation offered new knowledge or perspectives on the subject.
Suggestions: Proposals for improving the content, spatial arrangement, or media used.
Following the exhibition and its dismantling, I began to reflect on what had taken place. With the installation no longer physically present, I came to recognize that the project itself had acquired a spectral quality as well.