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David Claerbout
David Claerbout works in the space between film, photography and painting,
with the aid of digital image manipulation, in order to examine notions
of veracity, representational ‘objectivity’ and time. If the
media systematically bombard us with loud, hectic and often garish images,
the artist instead proposes the opposite: quiet, subtle, lingering, poetic
images which resonate and remain imprinted in the mind. Much of his work
is indeed about the deceleration of perception and about the necessity
of close observation. Using images from his own memory and experiences,
the artist re-sensitises the viewer to the significance of individual
gestures and their intimate poetry. To counteract the speed with which
we consume media images Claerbout proposes stillness, meditation and silence.
His videos seem frozen, suspended in time and space. Cat and Bird in Peace,
is a single monitor video with no sound. A cat and bird, traditional adversaries,
sit aside each other. Though it is evident they are not the best of friends,
they mind their own business and manage to co-exist coolly. The poignant
simplicity of this work is what is striking; it is a potent metaphor for
learning to live with the ‘other’, a humorous comment on ‘civilised’
behaviour, and on the importance of peaceful co-existence despite difference.
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Cat and Bird in Peace, 1996, Video on monitor, 10-minute
loop, Courtesy Galerie Micheline Swajczer, Antwerp
About the work
‘Cat and Bird in Peace’ is a real-time recording of a cat
and a bird sitting in a cage. Nothing happens... the bird looks from time
to time to the left and then to the right, the cat sometimes looks up.
The animals seem to ignore one another. In contrast to what one would
expect there is no suspense raised by this -usually- dangerous situation.
This scene lasts for ten minutes, then it starts again.
www.gms.be
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