Martin Kollar
TWELVE STARS -Project from the European Parliament
When most of us, ordinary people, think of the European Parliament, perhaps it is the enormous complex of glass buildings that first comes to mind. Despite its image of transparency, it is hard to try and see through its walls, which makes our curiosity about what’s going on inside, behind the curtains, only grow. As most of us have never been in a similar environment, we can only guess at all that’s going on there, behind the scenes, and we build up our own virtual picture based on the official photo and TV images.
The outcome of the European parliament photographic project should be a series of portraits. Portraits capturing the world of those few who have the ambition and power to lead, persuade and play role in the big changes which will in the end have direct impact on our daily lives.
The world of state officials and civil servants has its own rules and protocols, and its symbiosis with TV and media makes it a perfect embodiment of the aforementioned themes. Within the concept of my work, I’d love to watch them from a closer angle, in their very own world. It is the world of rituals and order, giving us, at some deep level, a feeling of security and certain sense of orientation, that I find so fascinating
The parliament itself consists of 27 member states. The process of harmonisation of all the diversities among different nations with their interests & policies cannot happen without major or minor unpredictable difficulties. One particular characteristic of my work is that I try to reveal the subtle and often concealed humor of a situation.
