Screenings:
The Opera and The Fireworks
Nick Crowe, Ian Rawlinson
Salt Beyoğlu
September 25 – October 2, 2012
SALT Beyoğlu, Walk-in Cinema
The Opera
Nick Crowe, Ian Rawlinson
2011, 19’59”
English with Turkish subtitles
The Fireworks
Nick Crowe, Ian Rawlinson
2007, 6’23”
Without dialogue
The Opera (2011) investigates the mediation of power relations by language and translation, in the context of issuas around the aesthetics of language and image as an expression of ideological power. The Opera’s narrative arc is constructed from phrases appropriated from a military language course developed for US soldiers prior to their deployment in foreign territories.
The Fireworks (2007) presents the unrestrained chaos, noise and colour of a firework display taking place within the confines of a gallery. The work highlights the increasing function of the gallery as a site of spectacle and conflates this with a dysfunctional public display at odds with the conventions of civic celebration.