Tuesday 26 April 2011

Press release

Virtual Horror 
As generations have passed into memory and the long arm of change stretches out across the world. Bringing with it the engines of industry and countless waves of new thought processed in an ever changing environment by ever changing people. Man finds ‘new‘ ways and ‘new’ demons to fear. Yet it cannot be denied that ultimately they are the same old fears dressed up in contemporary clothing. The primal fear of what is beyond the grave, the loss of control to a alien force, the devils and witches that take away what we regard as goodness and make us betray ourselves and the fear of loneliness. 
Virtual Horror talks not only about these similarities but it also talks about the way art is presented in the white cube space. It looks at the contrast between the avant-grade and kitsch. There are boundaries within the exhibition, but, so often in the art world we find boundaries.  

location and Work I'm going to use for the exhibition.

For the location I think it would be best to have it in an average sized room completely symmetrical, white cube space. This will allow the projections of the film trailers to be completely unobscured. The framed work will be placed in twos, on each wall perfectly separated symmetrically. I want to do it like this because I think if I use to many the room could seem too cluttered. The framed work will be six Goya prints.

The trailers will be:
The shining.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I
The Evil Dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXpjFAisVvY
The thing from another world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5xcVxkTZzM
The Thing.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZkkIsLiNg
The Fly (Both 1958 and 1986).
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdv4QA-O1bg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xoyu08xNE
The exorcist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k
The Texas Chainsaw massacre 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3981DoINw
The haunting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq74oz6mf3w
Black sunday. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q5nV12AgVc
Blood on Satan's claw.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RQB6ZDNXeM
Night of the demon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTA97Msls8
The reptile. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOVtsl8hBCI
Rosemary's baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPyEsObI1M
Scanners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmJC3ZaXBEc
Brain Dead
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbOmCUWm25w
Battle Royale
From dusk till dawn
The Oman 
IT
The Grudge
The Descent







Or should I go old school?

I'm now adamant on keeping the film trailer idea but I'm not sure what to do with the traditional, non commercial works in the frames. I think it would be a nice idea to use film art in these frames but I can't not think of other ideas such as using prints by Francisco Goya



These may be in stark contrast to the trailers but bare similarities.

Monday 25 April 2011

An interesting way to display....

I found this whilst searching for films and digital art online:


Video Game Art - Boing Boing's Xeni Jardin Xbox 360 Avatar 

Its an exhibition of strange avatars from various video game. The thing I found most interesting was the way they were displayed. They were framed, which in context makes sense as they are simply digital portraits.    

It might be quite interesting to use this alone side my original idea, or maybe on its own! I could project the film trailers around the room and place film art inside the frames. This is making a reference to the way that artists choice to address the public with their work. It also talks about the divide between Avant-garde and Kitsch whist still addressing its original purpose, to shock the viewer.         

Ideas for display

My first thought in the matter of display is to project the films everywhere around the room (making sure none clash). I would like all space in the room to be full of film projections (floor, walls and ceiling) so no matter where the viewer stands he/she is interfering with the art. Plus this room will be so overwhelming that he viewer will find it very uncomfortable and that along side the visual and audio content of the films will make the experience some what disturbing.    

Saturday 23 April 2011

Artists work I've found that fit the theme

Video work has been my main priority so far but I intend to look at digital work to later down the line.

My first artist is Devlin Crow and his 1999 video 'Expelling the demon' just by watching this video it is obvious why I've choose it.
http://www.animateprojects.org/films/by_date/1999_2001/expelling


Psycho/Cyber 1992-1993 Stelarc. This films is a sci-fi specific film but still holds a kind of eerie surreal suspense.
Jan Svankmajer's Alice would fit perfectly with the theme and I think it would fit perfectly with the other two films (so far) they all use animation. Psycho/cyber in particular uses the stop frame style Svankmajer so often favours. 

Wednesday 20 April 2011

A few of my favourite horror films.

Films I enjoy include:

Alien.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ojhGdRSkiUw
The shining.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5Cb3ik6zP2I
The Evil Dead
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wXpjFAisVvY
The thing from another world.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T5xcVxkTZzM
The Thing.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ouZkkIsLiNg
The Fly (Both 1958 and 1986).
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hdv4QA-O1bg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7xoyu08xNE
The exorcist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YDGw1MTEe9k
The Texas Chainsaw massacre 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vs3981DoINw
The haunting.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xq74oz6mf3w
Black sunday. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1Q5nV12AgVc
Blood on Satan's claw.
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2RQB6ZDNXeM
Night of the demon.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HSTA97Msls8
The reptile. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOVtsl8hBCI
Rosemary's baby
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=otPyEsObI1M
Scanners.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PmJC3ZaXBEc
Brain Dead
 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xbOmCUWm25w

Plus many many more......

I've just realised how interesting the actual trailers of these movies are. It might be an idea to display these alone side artists (In a traditional sense) works.

In a dark, dark room theres a dark, dark secret!!

I'm fascinated by horror films, not the endless sequels of an original and endless generic copies which seem to get worse and worse as it filters down into oblivion. I'm fascinated by the better side of horror the horror that has the power to really scare. I enjoy both ends of the horror spectrum, the though provoking horror that doesn't need to chop you up and feed you to inbreed cannibals, I love the originality the complexity which seems to be more and more hard to find in new films. I put this down to the sequels and copies, people don't seem to care anymore about what their making, they only care how much their making. I also enjoy the extreme end of the spectrum the ultra gore although this end almost always comes with added rubbish acting its still fascinating to see peoples takes on gore and ultra violence. For this exhibition I want look at video and digital artists take on horror, preferable both ends of the horror spectrum.