Video-o-o

This is obviously the week of videos. I went to the ICA for Bloomberg New Contemporaries (and almost vomited from a performance where people were drenched in perfume wandered around the gallery space. There was no escape from the reek). Savinder Bual's Train loop video, which was basically a glorified gif as well as a smart comment on the history of cinema, was a favourite for me.

French Riviera's next show opening on Wednesday is going to sate my current obsession with moving image for a while. A temporary TV wall will feature work from people like Hannah Perry, Jon Nash, Leslie Kulesh, Sebastiaan Schlicher, Kris Emmerson etc. I may even play a few records at the end of the night...



And for a more informative video Recreative's well made films about the Converse/Dazed Emerging Artists Award include a short interview of me blabbing away looking a bit hungover.

All Fall Down

Went to Berlin last week and was completely blown away by a video installation in an exhibition about terrorism and c/o. It was called Xanadu by Robert Boyd. It consisted of an onslaught of images of war, terrorism, violence, rioting, extremism. While surrounded by the images you stand under a pink disco ball and let your barriers down to a disco soundtrack of a remix of Madonna singing 'Dont Cry For Me Argentina' and Olivia Newton John 'Xanadu'. It was one of the best things I've ever seen. My hair stood on end watching it. My sister burst into tears. I couldnt stop repeating Xanadu for 24 hours. I think it might have been one of the most powerful artworks I have ever seen.

Sadly there isnt a good example of the film online so instead here's a second runner up from the same show. Michael Kosakowski's distubring film Just Like The Movies which splices together all the times the twin towers were featured in 80s and 90s TV and film clips. In the exhibition it was shown on a simple TV screen but here it is with live piano accompaniment.

Nicolas Provost

I went to Artissima for the first time on Nov 4 (my fuller review is online at anothermag.com soon). One work I saw there that I really want to flag up is Belgian artist Nicholas Provost's silent piece 'Storyteller'. He had a show at Haunch a year ago I missed (oops) but here's a clip of why the work is so good - as brilliant 3D floating flipped out piece of genius.