Cremaster 1

In 1994, the New York artist Matthew Barney started with his Cremaster project -an ambitious five-part film cycle in which Barney also included his own sculptures, drawings and photographs. The project is brimming with anatomical allusions to the position of the genital organs during the embryonic process of sexual differentiation. Barney however did not only look at biology, but also added mythology and geology. The series did not come about chronologically. For instance, part 4 was first, and the three-hour Cremaster 3 (2002) was last. In all cases, with his extremely inventive images, the artist constructed a story with far-reaching symbolic implications. In part 1, a platinum blonde starlet builds geometrical patterns of red and green grapes. In part 2, we make the acquaintance of copulating bees, Harry Houdini, a Brahman ball and a choice selection of spectacular landscapes. Part 3 shows Barney's character `The Entered Apprentice' facing Hiram Abiff, the architect of the Chrysler Building. The Flame-Haired Satyr or the `Loughton Candidate' (Barney) slowly taps his way through an eroding floor into the sea, as competing colour-coded motorcycle teams set off in opposite directions to circle the Isle of Man (part 4). Part 5 is situated in Budapest, where several unusual characters (including Ursula Andress) perform a romance in Gothic style.