Blink/Isaac julien
Blink! The new exhibition at the Denver Art Museum opened last week, showcasing work from some of the top names in digital art over the past couple decades. The sheer size of the show is impressive in itself, without even taking the work into account. Light, sound, projections, and neon fill the back room of the DAM, with no competition over audio or visual cues, and everything seems to fit right in its place. Works from legends such as William Kentridge, David Flavin, Nam June Paik, Bjorn Melhus, Mark Amerika, and surprisingly even Bill Rumley sit side by side, working together to show the world the possibilities of digital art in the 21 century.
The piece that I found most interesting was Still Men Out There by Bjorn Melhus. This installation contained three groups of televisions playing six different channels of video, to a common soundtrack. These televisions acted out a narrative while seemingly interacting with each other. The sound, light, and overall sensation I felt within this installation was very inspiring for my own digital works, and I am very grateful that the DAM brought this show in for our community.
The following day, Isaac Julien presented his newest work titled Ten Thousand Waves. This 50 minute film is designed to be played on 9 different screens throughout the installation, each connected to a different channel of video output. This design is set up to choreograph the viewer around the installation space, with the use of editing techniques and visual cues. For this presentation, however, the work was played out on one screen with 9 smaller frames within. This provided a different viewing effect, while also showing how the piece may work within the installation space. Innovative design aside, the actual content of the film was awe-inspiring. The photography is well planned and technically exquisite, and the narrative is captivating and easy to become involved in. The overall presentation of this work led me to the feeling that I need to see the installation in person, as well as any other works by Isaac Julien.
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