Full Description
Single channel video installation commissioned by No. 9 Contemporary Art & the Environment. Blu-ray player, video projector, sound system.
Work metadata
- Year Created: 2010
- Submitted to ArtBase: Saturday Oct 23rd, 2010
- Original Url: http://vimeo.com/13827344
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Work Credits:
- Isabelle Hayeur, Artist
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Artist Statement
The expression “white gold” is sometimes used to describe the production of commodities (salt, sugar, cotton…) that bring economic prosperity to a nation.
The video sets up a parallel between two very different worlds: dilapidated industrial structures and a Pacific beach. Playing with reality, this site-specific installation creates the illusion that falls of salt are flowing into the kiln. The overall impact is augmented by a soundtrack of salt being poured into different containers.
The work examines the relations between nature and culture in a world where their (false) opposition is the dominant ideology that still structures our Western societies. When the principle of utility ranks higher than other values and the economy is king, territories are viewed simply as “resources” and as sites to occupy or exploit. Today this instrumental logic tends to invade every area of human activity.
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