Exhibits,
Phip Murray, Jean-Philippe Larue Brace
Opening: Tuesday 30 September, 6-8pm Dates: 30 September-18 October 2003Phip Murray (Images) Jean-Philippe Larue (Audio)
http://www.abc.net.au/arts/strange/animations/default.htm
Brace Brace is a series of short animated vignettes on the theme of disaster. Each vignette presents a different scene of destruction ranging from global tragedies (atom bombs and acid rain, the trenches of WW1) through to somewhat surreal disasters (a girl is eaten by crows, a man spontaneously combusts).
The animations and illustrations in Brace Brace present a deliberate juxtaposition of beauty and death/decay in which gothic themes are depicted through an exquisitely detailed pictorial aesthetic. Brace Brace can be described as a contemporary ‘gothic romance’ in which destruction is catalogued through hyper-decorative visual arrangement. The pretty tableaux depict a contemporary Grimm’s fairytale for a generation whose lexicon includes ‘scud missile’ and ‘collateral damage’.
Phip Murray is an independent writer and part-time academic at RMIT’s School of Architecture + Design where she lectures in the history/theory of art and design. Her previous roles include Director of West Space (2008-12) and Associate Producer for the Next Wave Festival (2005-06). Phip is Chair of un Projects, publisher of the independent contemporary art publication un Magazine, and she often writes about art. Recent texts include Lost in Space (2013), a catalogue text to accompany Dan Moynihan’s exhibition at Gertrude Contemporary; a text for ArtLink exploring artist-run projects and experimentation; and The NGV Story (2011), a book published to commemorate the NGV’s 150th anniversary.