Ljubljana by Heart, 2000, video

The common denominators of Nika Špan's diverse conceptual productions are scepticism, a need for analysis and revelation of the self-evident. Her meticulously conceptualised and accomplished works scythe through the mechanisms of the artistic system as well as new technologies and the elements that determine her everyday life and territory. All her works are impregnated with a subtle humour that arises from her position of detachment from her own everyday experiences. Her work does not aestheticise everyday life; instead, her personal experiences become the foundation of her work. As she herself has declared, "I do not assert, I just reveal things as much as is possible". Her desire is to stimulate reflection on the issues in question and in this way increase viewers' awareness of them. Her artistic objects are always in relation to the ideological context of art and aesthetics, functioning as subtle forms of institutional critique. Her project Ljubljana by Heart consists of two videos visually synchronised on a two-minute loop. In both videos we are flying over the city of Ljubljana but whilst the first video shows the real city, the second one depicts the bronze model of the city located in Prešeren Square. Which parts of the city we view in greater detail and how long it is possible to observe them depends on the (computer-animated) clouds which we encounter and cross in both Ljubljanas. Are we seeing the "same" parts of Ljubljana, the "same" buildings, and the same clouds at the "same" time covering the "same" parts of the "same" city? How different can the same journey be?