Ten screens, simultaneously play different scenes and images, framed in a red room. Voices and sounds dance around the room in time with the scenes bouncing across the screens. The viewer's eye is forced to flicker through the room in hopes of keeping up, only for the ensemble of images and sound to still by the single crack of a whip.
British artist and filmmaker Sir Issac Julien’s Lesson of the Hour (2019) at the MoMA entices the viewers from the moment they enter the exhibition. Based on the life of the American abolitionist Fredrick Douglas, the exhibition opens with a small room filled with photographs of and writings by Douglas. The walls are covered in newspapers and posters depicting Douglas. This grounds the viewer in the real history of Douglas’s life, allowing for the more experimental and unorthodox documentary Julien explores.
The main space of the exhibition is a masterclass in gallery design. The ten screens, the all-red walls, and the use of powerful speakers present an unconventional environment separate from the traditional film-watching experience of a single screen in a black room. The viewers watch Douglas’s life from different angles and times simultaneously. Then when it is least expected, the images and audio align to a cotton field with the lone sound of the whip cracking. A chill courses down as the unity is off-putting in the chaos. This makes the moment that much more horrific and impactful, once again a cruel reminder of the real events Douglas and millions of other men and children had to suffer through.
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| Installation view of Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour, | Emile Askey. |
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| Installation view of Isaac Julien: Lessons of the Hour, Evie Glidden |
You effectively captured the essence of Sir Isaac Julien's Lesson of the Hour, including its display and atmosphere. Your poetic first paragraph is particularly striking, transporting readers into the exhibition. I appreciate how you highlight the thoughtful contextualization of Frederick Douglass's life in the introductory room, grounding the viewer in historical reality. Your emotional conclusion connects the work's purpose to contemporary perspectives, adding depth. However, incorporating more details about the video's plot and mentioning the actors would enhance your review, as it currently focuses primarily on the exhibition design. Overall, your insights are engaging and informative, making the reader eager to experience this powerful exhibition firsthand.
ReplyDeleteI think you did a great job describing the exhibition and the contents in it. Overall, I think your word choice was strong along with your descriptions of the space. You make sure to mention all the important aspects of the show, especially how the creator plays with the sound and all the screens in the space. I would have liked to hear more about how it made you feel and if there is anything you would have done differently or changed. This is a great review, but it does not flow well, so maybe connecting the paragraphs together by using transition words would be helpful.
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