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click photos for slideshow and more images 'A conversation along the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity' - Dom Omladine Belgrade 2017 Combining elements of sculpture, sound and video, the exhibition explores how we locate ourselves spatially, politically and culturally. The title of this exhibition refers to the E70 motorway, the so-called 'Highway of Brotherhood and Unity', an East to West, cross-European artery of cultural and ideological communication. The space is bookended by two videos, which draw upon 1980s aerobics dance and exercise culture. One video is sited at the entrance and the other sits above a carpeted podium at the far end of the gallery. On the podium are three rustic wooden stools, which vibrate haptically with the residue of speeches from three political figures from different eras (Josip Broz Tito, Slobodan Milošević, and Zoran Đinđić). Other objects that transmit sound in the space include: a minimalist array of brass piezo speakers embedded in a square cement panel, projecting the sounds of insects and synthesizers down the length of the gallery; a printed electrostatic speaker and parabolic reflector bouncing mysterious radio signals directionally across the space; and a slender, suspended steel rod transmitting the haptic vibrations of distant dance music. Near the entry, a set of 'silent', blue industrial signs engraved with words in Cyrillic explore the onomatopoeic sounds of technology, war, and cartoons. The unlikely components in 'A conversation along the Highway of Brotherhood and Unity' combine to form a visual-sound-system that engages the viewer with a visual and sensory experience in an immersive and conceptual way. Sean Dower first visited Belgrade in 1990 with the Bow Gamelan Ensemble to make a large-scale performance with sound and pyrotechnics in a derelict Belgrade power station. See also 'Power and Light', a super-8 film study of the building with set construction, made in 1990. Recent trips to Belgrade by the artist have cemented an engagement in cultural dialogue as an ongoing mode of practice. This exhibition was made possible with the generous support of Dom Omladine Belgrade and the Franklin Foundation. Link to PDF of individual works in the exhibition and press release, with a text by Jo Melvin. More information about: Dom Omladine |
