Each artist has developed a powerful and moving scenario to capture glimpses of London, which not only shares new ways of seeing the Capital but also shares a great deal about themselves. The artists’ films give us a new awareness of how our senses paint pictures of reality informed by visible and invisible influences.
London
from Horseback by Naomi Cleaver
Observing the duality of high tech and low tech Naomi seeks to recreate the perspectives of the past in the midst of the present by filming solely from horseback, up until a century ago the main form of transport around the city’s streets. The resulting film is a constantly moving vista, from a once common elevation, that also captures the unique reactions to a rogue horsewoman in modern London.
The Mirrored Cube by Tom Dixon
Drawn towards the current phenomenon of CCTV cameras and the notion of the world as a stage – regardless of our awareness – Tom designed a one-way mirrored cube through which he filmed London. Placed in a variety of public locations around London, the film highlights the different aspects of human nature, as Tom watches people watching themselves – preening, showing off and even pulling out their nose hairs.
Dérive by Jefferson Hack
Jefferson’s perspective is about movement – he sees the city and the people in it as always-moving. To reflect this he has chosen to film Dérive – capturing the way Les Parkours reclaim the city by offering a way for anybody, regardless of status or race to express themselves. Part dance, part marshal art, but in its most basic form – running and jumping through the city in a fluid and controlled way – freedom of movement and self expression in its most pure sense.
Full Circle by Nigel Coates
Nigel Coates has remained most true to the brief. In the search for the highest freely accessible spot in London, he settled on the 4th floor terrace at Tate Modern to make his film, Full Circle. With its single take, it explores the contrast between the expansive view over the Thames and the London skyline, and the terrace as a confined viewing platform or theatre box. As the camera rotates through a progressively upward spiral it passes from long-shot to studied close-up, back and forth from viewer to the viewed.
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