Compass II
An exhibition by
Atanas Djonov
Kudos
Gallery,
4-9
June 2007
Exhibition
opening: 6-8pm, 4 June 2007
Compass
II, 2003-2007
A
performative audio-visual new media art installation
Compass II is a
performative new media environment constructed for interplay between audience
members and its author. The installation consists of a marine compass and four
screens that are aligned with the four principal geographic directions (East,
West, North and South). Made from canvas and a rectangular wooden frame, each
screen resembles a propaganda poster (‘agit-plakat’). Offering multilayered
four-channel projections, the work allows the audience to move between layers
by moving within the space formed by the four screens and by turning the
compass in the middle. Each layer shows a finished single-channel video work
alongside raw material from which it has been composed. The audio includes
revolutionary and traditional folk songs. The work as a whole explores the
potential of visual, audio, audio-visual, spatial and interactive montage to
raise awareness of our joint responsibility for social change.
Postcard from
Observational video
work & installation
The enemy staccatos
are flying over our heads
Dark forces
maliciously oppress us
In the fateful
battle that we are destined for
Unknown fates are
awaiting us
But we will proudly
and boldly rise
The banners of the
workers’ struggle
The banner of the
great battle of all the peoples
For a better world
and a holy freedom
To a battle bloody
Holy and just
March, march
forward
Working people
Lyrics: G.
Krzhizhanovsky
Translation: Olga
Zaharieva
Audience
Invitation
Please
take a postcard from the installation screen and post it to friends or family
overseas.
Postcard from
Australia features
two observational videos filmed early in the morning in the Sydney Central
Station pedestrian tunnel,
days
before the London Underground bombings of the 7th of July 2005.
One
shows commuters walking towards the camera and is projected on one side of a
screen formed by postcards with stills from the video.
The
other shows commuters walking away from the camera and is projected on the
other side of the screen.
The
visual track plays a Russian version of "Varshavianka"– a Polish song
written at the end of 19th century
and
popular in
An
integral part of Postcard from Australia is
the large pile of postcards forming the screen.
Audience
members are invited to take postcards and send them overseas or keep them if
they wish.
In
this way, everyone metaphorically contributes to dismounting the current state
of fear,
paranoia
and complacent inaction, a process culminating in the disappearance of the two
projections.
Those
who send the cards will also help spread a call for a more progressive stance
towards social change.
Terrotate, 2006
A
performative installation incorporating a spin dryer and surveillance video
technology
Part
of the Spin-Off performance series.
Documentation:
Peter Humble
The work consists of two parts. The first
presents a video documentation of a walk through
Biography
Atanas Djonov was
born in
In
1994 he completed a video-production course at the
In
1996 he moved to
In
2002 he graduated with a Bachelor’s degree with Honours Class I in Fine Arts
(Time-Based Art) from the
His
art practice incorporates video technology, film, sound, photography, drawing
and sculpture.
His
research explores the role of montage as a method for juxtaposing forms and
meanings in new media art.
The
interaction between media and various moving image genres such as experimental
video, film essay and observational documentary
enables
him to create new meanings and question the affordances of each medium.
This
combination of juxtaposed forms can be experienced in his latest installation
work, Compass II, 2003 - 2007
Special Thanks to
A
Cappella Choir Nothing Without Belinda with conductor Mark D’Astoli
Benjamin
Cole, Tara Cook, Emilia Djonov, Carmen Esplandiu, Debora Freifeld, Allan Giddy,
John
Gillies, Georgi Hristov, Peter Humble, Geeta Jatania, Yorgo Kaporis, Sandra
Landolt,
David
Mackenzie,
Veronika
Zaharieva