John Akomfrah, dayaaaam. I feel like this is all i can completely say with just how great this piece was. You go into this BIG black room, with soundproof pads on the walls. Sit down. In front of you are three large video screens, each playing something different, at times syncing up, and then back to different things. Yet the whole time they work beautifully together, they complement one another. The matter in hand here is the juxtaposition of placing whaling and the death of refuges trying to flee land across the sea. Just how cruel the sea can be and what has actually go on out there. How we as humans kill whales, polar bears just as easily as we kill other humans like the slave trade. However, before you go into some breakdown, you are presented with the fact whales killing seals, and there being this circle of life. And whilst you are watching these deaths and blood everywhere, on the screen next to it, you are being shown the beauties of the world. You're flying over a rain forrest, looks at HD snow covered trees where it is evident no one has been there or will ever destroy this. And then you are swimming along the great barrier reef and relishing in the wonders and you begin to enjoy the piece and forget about the other things happening. Like we often do as humans, we block the ugliness and things that don't affect us and only look on at what pleases us to see. And throughout this whole set up, sound reverberates through your body, so it doesn't matter if you are looking at the 'ugly' screen or the 'pretty' screen, you get an understanding of what is happening in both pieces through the constant torrent of sound. I think this is what i enjoyed the most. It was that the sound was always present and bringing you back into the moment. It didn't matter if you were looking away or leaving the room. It was present, and spoke with the film. I do not want my sound to be loud like this, but i want it to be a presence. A constant reminder of the place and situation. But it will be subtle and wont matter if it is missed, because it is a gentle lul bringing you back to the place.
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April 2016
Kerry FosterThird Year Fine Art Student at Falmouth School of Art. Fellow artists: |