Crossfire, an audio-visual installation on four screens, made by the artist Christian Marclay in 2007, bombards the viewer from every angle with gunshots. In this video, the curator of our current exhibition Shoot! Existential Photography, Clément Chéroux, compares Marclay’s work to a musical score.
The still use in your e-newsletter is, I believe, Henry Fonda from Serigo Leone’s “Once Upon A Time In The West” the very finest so-called spaghetti western. It is a brutal unseen slaying of a small boy and a terrifying moment. I will not spoil it by describing the cut-away.
The installation must be an uncomfortable experience.
This piece by Marclay was worth the £2 entrance fee on its own!!
I was alone with this piece in its entirety (which on one hand was disappointing as more people should be enjoying this spectacular piece of work – but on the other hand gave me space and time to really absorb it!) I felt very vulnerable stuck in the middle of the room – and when the shooting began I could only bear it for a minute or so before I felt I had to move to the corner of the room to experience the rest! My heart-rate went up and I was constantly turning to spot the next piece of footage or follow the next click of a rifle etc. – It was a stunning piece of theatre and when the rhythms started to repeat and create a drumming dance beat it seemed to fit neatly into the whole Christian Marclay DJ thing! A Masterpiece from the same mould as “The Clock”. Brilliant!