Ralf Kempf / Dietmar Kempf
The eye of the voiceless
05:11 min
Ralf Kempf / Dietmar Kempf
The eye of the voiceless
05:11 min
The video The Eye of the Voiceless unfolds its impact through the layering of two visual planes and a multi-layered sound composition. At the center of the visual design is an eye that stares motionlessly at the viewer. This rigid presence suggests both vigilance and powerlessness—it observes but cannot actively intervene.
Superimposed on this first layer are eruptive, digitally distorted particles reminiscent of floating dandelion seeds. Their movement seems random, chaotic, yet controlled by an invisible force. They reinforce the impression of fragility and transience but also of dissemination and resistance.
The soundtrack intensifies this dynamic with electronic sounds that amplify the movement of the visual elements. On multiple overlapping tracks, a voice speaks the Universal Declaration of Human Rights of the United Nations. However, due to the acoustic distortion, the content remains only fragmentarily comprehensible—an echo of a message that should be heard but is lost in the noise of the world.
The title „The Eye of the Voiceless“ points to the video’s central theme: the tension between visibility and silence, between perception and powerlessness. The eye represents those who see but cannot speak—whether due to oppression, ignorance, or media interference. Human rights may be written down, but their voice remains trapped in a whisper, unheard and eroded by the world’s multitude of voices.
The video thus powerfully highlights the invisible and the unspoken—for those who see but are not allowed to speak.
Dietmar Kempf, born in Schutterwald in 1964, and Ralf Kempf, born in Offenburg
in 1970, create video works, installations and objects that make the invisible tangible and open up new perspectives on our reality by exploring sound, space and
materials.
With their works, they create powerful socio-critical statements that place everyday objects in new, meaningful contexts. By combining material, form and function, they invite the viewer to reflect on pressing contemporary issues. Her art is not only aesthetically pleasing, but also a powerful appeal to question the world around us.
Her work has been shown in international exhibitions and nominated for numerous art awards.