Desiluciones ópticas / Optical desillusionments
On March 24th, 1976, a civic-military dictatorship was established in Argentina. During the process, the persecution, kidnapping, torture and murder in a secret and systematic way of people for political and religious reasons were promoted. Propaganda was a very important instrument to publicize their ideology and sport was an even more useful tool. In 1978 the World Soccer Championship was organized, used as an optical illusion to hide State Terrorism.
That World Cup was characterized by a particular celebration. The gesture of throwing little pieces of paper in the air was the way to celebrate the team's victories in competitions. This gesture is still used today.
"Desiluciones opticas" is an interactive work that investigates the social contradictions of that time. It appropriates celebratory gestures to reveal the faces of the disappeared civilians. It inquiries the duality between the festivities and the atrocities that occurred at the same time. Forgetting is one of the biggest problems in a society, this project appeals to memory.
Source: http://www.leonunez.com.ar/desilusionesOpticas.html
Researched by Graziele Lautenschlaeger