On View through February 10, 2010
Isolation Room/Gallery Kit is pleased to
present the video Fireworks by artists Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson. In
1994, the artists began their partnership while sharing a studio in
Manchester, England. Crowe and Rawlinson work across a range of media
addressing subjects such as faith, politics, national identity and the
environment. Using pairings and oppositions, their video and sculptural
works create an encounter with the viewer that focuses on the complexity
of objects through actions and reactions with direct reference to their
specific social contexts. A captivating video, Fireworks functions as a
metaphor for the disentanglement of the social and ideological
consequences of an action in relation to its evident spectacle.
Installed in a large cavernous space, a series of fireworks are laid out
in an ambitious construction, timed explosions are set off in a
continuous and fascinating display, from spastic sparks to flickering
flames, smoke eventually permeates the room and shifts our experience
accordingly. An interest in consequence is reflected in the aesthetics
of spectacle and overkill that is the core of this work and is a good
example of a powerful visual and an aural intensity that can be seen as
an opportunity for direct conversation with the viewer. In a recent
interview Crowe and Rawlinson sum up their conceptual preoccupations:
“…the pieces all work through this method of presenting a thing… with
another one. It’s different from making pairs or sets or doubles – it’s
about how your understanding of an object changes when you force it to
be seen in relation to itself.”
Work is courtesy the artists.
