David Claerbout Olympia (The real-time disintegration into ruins of the Berlin Olympic stadium over the course of a thousand years), starting in 2016

Despite its hyper-realistic appearance, Olympia (The Real Time Disintegration Into Ruins Of The Berlin Olympic Stadium Over The Course Of A Thousand Years) is not a film shot on location. Berlin’s Olympiastadion — originally constructed by architects Werner and Walter March for the 1936 Summer Olympics — and its environ have been digitally reproduced by David Claerbout. Using video games technology, the artist has created a virtual world emptied of all life forms. The installation consists of a double screen projection. The main horizontal one shows an elliptical movement of the virtual camera around the main areas of the stadium (passageways, arena, etc.), whilst the second—vertical—screen focuses on details (sculptures of athletes, building’s ornaments, landscape, etc.). The real-time video-projection is meant to last 1,000 years and show the progressive and inexorable deterioration of the monument.