This is a review for Slow Me Down by Maria Hassabi.
Upon entering, it was an interesting set up. I wanted to know how the
carpet was used as part of the installation or was it where the audience
viewed the installation. The piece was already running and what struck
me was its sound, the lack of sound and the repetition of it. Amidst the dark dark room, this
big screen lit up the entire place, the installation stood out too well. The timing and repetition of the video edits
and the expression of the dancers brought on something odd, and not too
long after everything keeps repeating itself again and again until
there was a sudden silence. This contrasted hugely with the sharp sounds that occurred with the repeating clips. As with the sudden sound change, the video also incorporates sudden movements.
It
was an intriguing moment when you see the carpet that's right in front
of you being used by the dancers in the video installation. Then you
wonder, if this is the actual carpet and you imagine the dancers present
and dancing right in front of you. The carpet sorts of welds together with the video even
though it is something that is outside of the video clip. It future
adds noise and visual textures for the viewers and I felt that I was closer to the installation that I originally was - because initially it just appeared to be a video.
The transitions slowed and sped up at odd frequencies and it really throws you off. It bring you in and
suddenly throws you out at times you don't expect. I like how it blurs
and fades, like it wants you there but does not actually want you to be a
part of it. The dancers movements were slow, you had to pay close
attention to them moving. It imitated that of a clock hand and thus
supports the theme of time in this piece. Everything was essentially
slowed down, repeated and set in motion.
There is a certain sense of mystery in it as the installation
runs on for a long period of time and when I was watching, I was
wondering when it started and when it would end. It gave an odd
perception of time because how could something run on for so long, how would you decipher when it would start or stop. But time doesn't stop, we can only slow down or run as fast as we like.
Everything was slow, even time at present felt slower. This contrast the conventional usual moving videos that we usually see everyday. It changed how I saw and perceive things, and I think it was effective in conveying it's message.
I like that you discuss how this piece plays with the perception of time. The first time I saw the installation I honestly had no idea how long the video loop was. While waiting for another show to begin later that day, I overheard another audience member talking about SlowMeDown and she said that it was about twenty minutes long. The most recent time I saw the piece was during class. I had to watch the time because I had another class right afterwards. Then, I estimated the loop to be about ten minutes long, but still I wasn't sure. I also found it extremely difficult to watch the time that day because the piece just sucks you in. It is challenging to focus on the outside world when viewing the slow and relaxing images. The immersive silences especially broke down my sense of time. I think it shows how dependent we are on motion and event sequencing in our perception of time.
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ReplyDeleteI felt the same way about the carpet when I had initially walked into the room. It kind of was just there with a huge screen.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you on how the carpet merges the video displayed and reality into one. I also felt like the dancers were performing right in front of us. I thought it was an interesting experience and added another dimension to the piece.