The nocturne that prevails in a temperate forest at night is one of quiet. Unlike their tropical counterparts which hum with the singing of cicadas and frogs, the woods of the northern hemisphere are only occasionally disturbed by the shrill cry of a passing owl or the crunch of leaves underfoot. But not tonight, for in the distance an unnatural hum can be heard. It grows louder and harsher till it is revealed as the distinctive drone of a low flying helicopter. Suddenly its lights cut through the darkness, sweeping back and forwards across the exposed trees.
This is the scene presented by Rodney Graham’s video instillation as part of the “Edge of a Wood” exhibition at Barcelona’s Museum of Contemporary Art. What initially appeared to me as a scene of tranquillity, descended into an uncomfortable exposure of the invasive presence of Man. It immediately got my mind racing as to the way in which human interactions with natural spaces are viewed by different cliques of society. Here, we are presented as a foreign force, by others as a conqueror of the elements (I picture an advert for fertiliser), and finally as small part of a integrated community which has and will continue to exist without us.
This piece of art began a niggle at the back of my head which now manifests itself in the ideas I share in this blog.
You can view a clip of the piece in question above, but bear in mind that it loses a lot of its power outside of a gallery setting.
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