There is only one life  2006

​HD, colour, stereo, 16:9
Duration: 12.54”

Commissioned for the 7th Werkleitz Biennale, “Happy Believers”, 2006.
Financially supported by the Kunststiftung Sachsen-Anhalt, Halle, Germany.

Monika Oechsler’s video work There is Only One Life (2006), explores our modern day lives in the reflection of spiritual and philosophical ideas. The filmic expose takes the contemporary re-enchantment with religious and mythical concepts as a starting point in order to illuminate the quest for meaning in consumer society beyond traditional doctrines. Comparable to popular psychology, alternative systems of belief also function as methods of individual self-improvement and are in demand in contemporary society.

The work highlights the current resurgence of the teaching of the kabbala, a tradition of belief that has its origins in the early writings of Judaism. Since the beginning of the twentieth century, teachings of the Kabbala have spread through occult circles and New Age Movements, and more recently become popularised through celebrity life styles. 

There is only one Life is inspired by the graphic novel Promethea, written and illustrated by Alan Moore. Produced in the form of a science fiction comic, the novel combines scientific perspectives with the myths of the kabbala. Four different actresses represent Promethea, the female protagonist, in four incarnations. The fragments of dialogue are loosely based on the narrative Promethea, including texts by the English poet William Blake, and song lyrics from the bands The Verve and Radiohead. The action is filmed in contemporary London locations: the financial centre Canary Wharf, the Angel tube station, and the historical Abney Park Cemetery.

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 (Extract from the Catalogue Happy Believers, 2006, text by Anke Hoffman.)