Hugin and Munin: A Chris Watts Interrogation
Video, 13 min 45 sec, 2024
Chris Watts is a notorious American murderer, known for killing his two daughters and pregnant wife after an extramarital affair. Extensive footage of Chris Watts during interrogation, interviews, and polygraph tests have been recorded and distributed by various media. In the video work Hugin and Munin: A Chris Watts Interrogation the visitors can watch Chris Watts, portrayed by actor Christian Haßmann, gradually revealing the details of his terrible crime. While he talks about his actions his story changes constantly, and the shifts in his thoughts and memories become clearer. The whispers echo from both sides through the headphones, leaving us with an uncanny feeling.
All the lines in the script come from Chris Watts' own words during interrogations, interviews or letters.
In the Poetic Edda, the mythological poem Grímnismál is spoken through the voice of Grímnir, one of the many guises of the god Odin, the main god in Norse and continental Germanic mythology. In this 13th-century compilation based on traditional folklore (B. Thorpe translation) Odin says:
“Hugin and Munin fly each day
over the spacious earth.
I fear for Hugin, that he come not back,
yet more anxious am I for Munin.”
In Old Norse, Hugin and Munin mean “thought” and “memory” respectively. They fly across the nine realms each day, returning to Odin’s shoulders at night to whisper to him about the happenings of the worlds, influencing his actions.
Warning: This video may contain content that some viewers may find disturbing.
Cast: Christian Haßmann
Sound Recording: Luca Pallini
Lighting, Cinematography, Editing, Color Grading: Yuanmo Wang
Script: Chen Chen
Acknowledgments: Prof. Dr. Olaf Nicolai, Julia Wittmann
