- Venue
- Southbank Centre
- Location
- London
Hollywood Remix is a juxtaposition of two artists, who both manipulate Hollywood films, in order to change their meaning and throw a new viewing angle on previously familiar footage. Ed Young’s work is compilation of clips from the Superman films of the 1970s and early 80s. These clips are glued together using the emo stylings of American Band, Five for Fighting which in a sense sums up the mood of the piece brilliantly, as the entire video is a beacon to all over-emotional, self depressive souls who have emerged into fashionable society of late. Statements from Young such as ‘One cannot neglect the global political climate’ and ‘It was meant to be a sort of apology for all the bad art I had shown in Cape Town; it was a self portrait’ only emphasise this point and a description of the piece shows why. In the video Superman is portrayed as the everyday man, whose massive strength and abilities fail to stop the weight of the world crashing down upon him. One can only raise a sarcastic eyebrow as Young compares himself to a being of super human ability who, never the less is poetically and tragically ravaged by self-doubt and loathing.
Artemio’s work is far less personal as he describes himself as ‘more of a punk rocker than a pop singer’. The first work you encounter of Artemio’s depicts Russell Crowe battling against an invisible enemy in an edited version of the film Gladiator. This almost comical scene is if nothing else entertaining to watch as Crowe twists and turns in an empty coliseum, intent on wounding his imaginary foe. However the viewer is shocked back into attention at Artemio’s choice to leave the splashes of blood visible. It is at this point Crowe’s character changes from one with possible delirious tendencies to an all out fighting hero, who can battle and defeat what we are unable to even see.
The second of Artemio’s videos is verging on clichéd in content and yet ever so effective too. Apoohcalypose Now slices together Marlom Brando’s chilling war monologue of Apolocalypse Now with images taken from the favoured childhood character, Winnie the Pooh. Again the first effect is almost humorous as we see Pooh plodding around his bedroom, kitted out with nightgown, slippers, cork gun and an ever-so-serious look on his face. However the effect of watching for a sustained amount of time is a feeling of unease as you see Pooh, an image of childhood innocence become mixed up with the gruesome, violence filled monologue. Yes it’s predictable but the contrast of archetypal childhood purity being smudged and altered by the extreme worst of the realities of adult life does have an effect on the viewer. Typical, predictable questions concerning the futilities of war squirm around the viewer’s head, in a way never previously experienced when watching the cartoon
Artemio claims to use humour to ‘undermine the cliched’ and although he treads a very dangerous line of becoming clichéd himself, I believe he does succeed. The images he presents are unsettling and yet ridiculous and this does create an interesting effect. If nothing else the result is entertaining and that is rarely a bad thing.
