STAGING DISORDER LCC, Elephant and Castle Monday 26 Jan- Thursday 12 March
Exhibition review
Staged Reality
To stage is not necessarily to act or organize manipulation. To stage is often to react in certain way that individual sees is most accurate from its point of view. Staging disorder is an exhibition of uncommonly contrasting perception to confusion, chaos and derangement. Taking place in London College of Communication, exhibition consists of photographs, sound and video installations. Photographic part of an gallery is created by Adam Broomberg and Oliver Chanarin (Chicago, 2006 ); Geissler/ Sann (Personal Kill, 2005-08); Claudio Hils (Red Land, Blue Land, 2000); An-My Le (29 Palms, 2003-04); Sarah Pickering (Public Order, 2002-05); Richard Mosse ( Airside, 2006-08); Christopher Stewart (Kill House, 2005). The other multi-dimensional works include sound, installation and written texts, that are created by artists from (CRiSAP) research center: Rupert Cox and Angus Carlyle (The Cave Mouth and The Giant Voice); Peter Cusack(Sounds from Dangerous Places), Cathy Lane (Preparations for an Imaginary Conflict) and autobiographical work by David Troop (Sonic Boom).
The display begins in the LCC corridor, which connects two academic blocks: design and communication. Photographs are placed on the walls on the both sides of the corridor. Curator of the exhibition must have wanted to separate the video, audio and visual medias, since right after the end of the corridor there is a way to the design block where the rest of the artwork with sound and moving images is displayed. All the rooms where the exhibition’s works take place are surrounded by natural light and there is a great deal of space in a venue. Perhaps, even too much, having in mind that the core message of the exhibition is disorder.
The viewer would start the exploration of the exhibition by encountering photographs taken in different parts of the world which all reflect specific themes and have different background stories. However, it is interesting that their content and display seem to come in a perfect combination. Maybe it is dark and grey shades in photographs that somehow connect them, or the mysterious mood they all create. Photographs interact with one another, although, they are made by independent artists at different periods of time. It is convenient and thoughtful that the colors of the walls are painted differently after every two or three images. It helps the viewer concentrate better and pay attention to every detail of a new photograph. Due to the background change, viewer is able to concentrate better and pay attention to every detail of a new photograph, because there is no recurrence in a room.
Artists suggest that disorder can be physical as well as mental. It is no secret that everything that is happening on our ground is mirrored in our minds, one way or another. The sound media of the exhibition relates more to the personal, individualistic experience of the people who confronted disorder in their home areas. One of the installations that really stands out is the Sounds from Dangerous Places by Peter Cusack. Artist gives an insight to the cultural life of the abandoned but still living villages of the Eastern part of Ukraine, whose residents had endured and reconciled with the effects of Chernobyl catastrophe. The tone of the installation is inspiring and unlooked-for, considering the circumstances of Ukrainians' tragedy. The sounds of the nature in the “exclusion zone”, as well as emotional poems by current residents of the villages induce thoughts about the convenience and easiness of our own lives and compels appreciation of our culture and personal possessions.
It is worth mentioning that certain pieces of the exhibition disclose quite an obvious statement that displayed “disorder” is artificial, however it is not less interesting to appreciate the installation.
People, who confronted military actions are marked by it for the rest of their existence, however they are not the only ones who can acquaint us with what happened. Things and places, like people, can tell us not less of a story. The photograph by Adam Broomberg & Oliver Chanarin is perhaps the strongest example of the eminently intriguing image. No wonder, why the most visible place of the venue is devoted to this piece. It is placed in a very center of the back wall in a corridor and is strangely “alive”. Even though there are no 3D effects or any other special features, only photograph and the wall, it seems to have a profoundly heavy impression to the audience.
As it is mentioned in an exhibition’s catalogue, STAGING DISORDER explores the contemporary representation of the real in relation to modern conflict. The representation of real maybe tricky to get for the ordinary visitor, since mainly, we are used to see the real, not staged images from the locations of real conflicts, shocking photographs from war zones and battle fields. However, artists’ aim is not as much to state what has happened, but rather to question whether it really happened or to suggest the possible scenario for the future. In social environment disorder is something we dislike and avoid with every possible measure. Unfortunately, its nature it is the kind of situation that is inevitable to experience. Artists indicate different types of disorder and demonstrate how it can be staged still looking like the reflection of real. What fascinates me is that they delicately play with audiences perception, although still let us decide ourselves if we believe it or not. All in all, it is the exhibition that educates the audience and might alter your view to military actions as well as rethink nowadays social and political situation. What is staged today, might be real tomorrow.