In the first instance, Midtown is a form of optical illusion. Clouds float by, mirrored in the windows, interrupted by a band of natural stone. Window frames and floors divide the surface into an endless number of squares and diamonds. One facade, at an angle to another, makes you wonder which is closer. This is Manhattan, New York, a rampant geometric growth of steel, marble, concrete, mirrored glass, between which the camera of Sarah Morris moves calmly. Times Square, Madison Garden, 57th Street. The first urban portrait by the artist is a kind of declaration of principle. The painter Sarah Morris lays her cards on the table. She shows where the harsh geometric structures that she paints in glossy lacquer in bright colours on the canvas come from. When she films the city, it is with the gaze of the painter looking for structure. From a great distance, with another layer in between, thanks to the electronic music of Liam Gillick, that feels its way along the frontages. At street level, between the people, the sound is more threatening and chaotic, with reverberating of claxons. The distance remains. The city becomes a peepshow that we look at with one eye squeezed shut. All the depth disappears. (SB)
Also in this combined programme
-
Miami
Sarah Morris is known for her film Los Angeles (2005) and abstract paintings and prints, all of which visually explore the built environment and our… -
AM/PM
The seducing and seductive reality of Las Vegas, a completely guided, artificial reality aimed at making you spend as much money as possible in the… -
Los Angeles 2004
Portrayal of Los Angeles, the city that generates important images, shot in the days before and during the Oscars ceremony. -
Capital
Buildings in Washington such as Capitol Hill, the White House, the Defense Department and the building of the CIA show how political power is expresse
Film details
- Country of production
- USA
- Year
- 1998
- Festival edition
- IFFR 2006
- Length
- 10'
- Medium/Format
- DV cam PAL
