LCA
photo: Richard Gallon
ABOUT
music festival reportage from Sónar,
Barcelona, June 2007
Headbutt single review
lyrics from Chemical Plant CD Caveat
Emptor
review for Coldfringe
Sean Branagan
Light Forms
review for Coldfringe, October 2007
ItÕs a hot old time in London this week, what with the Frieze Art Fair rolling into town. Especially in Vyner Street last Thursday evening, it would appear. The usual hectic First Thursday seems to have become Second Thursday, and tonight the street is awash with art punters and free beer.
So, is BranaganÕs ÔLight FormsÕ — described in the blurb as a collection of Ôvideo beingsÕ — great and good? Consisting of video projections onto various custom-made surfaces, these works function as electronic portraits. Two walls of VINEspace feature faces shone onto the distorted and disrupting surfaces. Oddly for a video work, the projected faces seemed to betray no obvious narrative, the expressions and gestures seemingly as static if they were painted or carved. Perhaps it is the absence of sound in these Ôtalking headsÕ that strips away the narrative, but as I watch the lips in ÔLIGHT FORM: YouÕre the reason our kids are ugly — Conway Twitty 1978Õ repeatedly mouthing the word ÔsorryÕ, I do feel that it is speaking directly to me, and I appreciate the apology. Albeit a silent one. This is a rather self-referential show: like much of video art, it is about the technique and technicalities, rather than a stunning vision. The frankly obscure and seemingly-unrelated titling, and almost-unfathomable accompanying press release, which claims that Ôthese pieces make significant efforts to democratise the component elements of video artÕ all betray this fact. In this day and age, ÔnewÕ media in the arts should be able to stand proudly next to any other medium, and not feel insecure, or the need to justify its existence.
On the other wall, ÔDva Moodges: YELLOWÕ and ÔDva Moodges: PINKÕ project the action — such as it is — down to the ground, stretching the looped figures into dissolving tinted pools across the floor. The spilling of coloured light into the space, and the fact that these two are projected ÔintoÕ patterned Perspex containers at least give the works a three-dimensional quality which was lacking in the previous pieces.
Later my companions and I went in search of the Vedett beer that everyone but us seemed to be clutching, and whilst we talked and chatted amongst ourselves, soaking up the busy atmosphere and free beverages, one of our number decided to spontaneously conduct an impromptu interview for the cameras filming Ben Roberts for Al GoreÕs Current TV. Ben curates, makes work for and drives the Benjamin Street Gallery. This gallery is a van that he drives to various art events and places to promote his personal brand of photography. The subsequent interview is one piece of video art that I canÕt wait to see.
Light Forms
review for Coldfringe, October 2007
ItÕs a hot old time in London this week, what with the Frieze Art Fair rolling into town. Especially in Vyner Street last Thursday evening, it would appear. The usual hectic First Thursday seems to have become Second Thursday, and tonight the street is awash with art punters and free beer.
So, is BranaganÕs ÔLight FormsÕ — described in the blurb as a collection of Ôvideo beingsÕ — great and good? Consisting of video projections onto various custom-made surfaces, these works function as electronic portraits. Two walls of VINEspace feature faces shone onto the distorted and disrupting surfaces. Oddly for a video work, the projected faces seemed to betray no obvious narrative, the expressions and gestures seemingly as static if they were painted or carved. Perhaps it is the absence of sound in these Ôtalking headsÕ that strips away the narrative, but as I watch the lips in ÔLIGHT FORM: YouÕre the reason our kids are ugly — Conway Twitty 1978Õ repeatedly mouthing the word ÔsorryÕ, I do feel that it is speaking directly to me, and I appreciate the apology. Albeit a silent one. This is a rather self-referential show: like much of video art, it is about the technique and technicalities, rather than a stunning vision. The frankly obscure and seemingly-unrelated titling, and almost-unfathomable accompanying press release, which claims that Ôthese pieces make significant efforts to democratise the component elements of video artÕ all betray this fact. In this day and age, ÔnewÕ media in the arts should be able to stand proudly next to any other medium, and not feel insecure, or the need to justify its existence.
On the other wall, ÔDva Moodges: YELLOWÕ and ÔDva Moodges: PINKÕ project the action — such as it is — down to the ground, stretching the looped figures into dissolving tinted pools across the floor. The spilling of coloured light into the space, and the fact that these two are projected ÔintoÕ patterned Perspex containers at least give the works a three-dimensional quality which was lacking in the previous pieces.
Later my companions and I went in search of the Vedett beer that everyone but us seemed to be clutching, and whilst we talked and chatted amongst ourselves, soaking up the busy atmosphere and free beverages, one of our number decided to spontaneously conduct an impromptu interview for the cameras filming Ben Roberts for Al GoreÕs Current TV. Ben curates, makes work for and drives the Benjamin Street Gallery. This gallery is a van that he drives to various art events and places to promote his personal brand of photography. The subsequent interview is one piece of video art that I canÕt wait to see.
photo: Richard Gallon
review written for Revelation
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