Limelight: Sans facon. Side Cinema January 13 2011
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- Date
- 14 Jan
Sans Facon, artists Tristan Surtees and Charles Blanc, presented a preview of their latest public art commission last night at the Side Cinema. Limelight, a film work, documents a series of temporary urban interventions in different cities including Newcastle, London, Inverness, Glasgow, Kansas City and Arlington in the US. Powerful in its simplicity and located on a busy street in the centre of each city the artists installed two spotlights in existing street lamps to overlap on the ground and filmed peoples' responses to the pool of light over a few hours after dark.
The results were fascinating and sparked a lively discussion after the screening. Firstly, just observing the similarities between of responses in different cities was interesting. The space deliniated by the light seemed to compel people to interact with the piece, usually choosing to perform within the space, producing mini pieces of spontaneous theatre. The artists observed that on occasions people even fought to gain access to the space, playing football, kissing, dancing, playing the violin, proposing marriage...
The piece raised questions about the role and nature of public art and our relationship with shared space in cities and the audience discussed whether this approach, commissioning temporary work that provokes engagement, is the future of public art. Other audience comments raised questions about the implications of the fleeting nature of the piece in relation to longevity or legacy and the relationship the piece has with theatre, surveillance, behavior and voyeurism. All seemed in agreement that, even though Limelight's power is in its simplicity, its impact is multi layered and thought provoking.
Limelight: Saturday night from Sans façon on Vimeo.
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