DreamArena (2024)

“’DreamArena’ (2024) interweaves a surreal tapestry of real footage, animation, and AI, set against a backdrop of authoritatively commercial cardboard boxes. The eye-adorned boxes maintain a constant watch over the audience as they watch the video. The 45-minute video features short segments that draw their unhinged inspiration from digital culture and archive material. A spooky YouTube documentary and a botched chicken sacrifice are offset by a Japanese visual novel referencing Skyrim and a dissatisfactory Arsenal match. Through a dream-like repetition of these segments, with subtle variations, the viewer’s perception of the accuracy of their own memory is unsettled. Nieling’s work invites an introspection on how easily imagined narratives can seep into our perception of the real.” - Jürgen Zeller

all sorts of video, varying duration, cardboard boxes