iankirk.net

'mourning becomes the law' is an interactive media installation. It is a piece which is concerned with presence and absence.

The title is taken from the theorist Gillian Rose’s book about philosophy and representation.

Gallery Experience

mourning becomes the law plays a film loop of six ice cubes melting. The ice cubes are arranged as a crucifix.

The film has been speeded up so that the ice cubes appear to melt to almost nothing for time it takes to hear a piece of music which lasts almost 11 minutes.

The piece of music is Istvan Marta’s Doom. A Sigh performed by the Kronos Quartet. This music is a mournful arrangement of two Hungarian folk songs from a disappearing community. One is about the death of parents and the other is about civil war.

Interactvity

mourning becomes the law dramatises presence and absence through its interactivity. A video camera detects when people are moving near the piece. The degree of movement controls the extent to which a still image of an as yet un-melted ice crucifix is superimposed over the melting one. The interaction of people in the gallery is therefore capable of magically restoring a concept of absolute presence, but in a way that underscores the temporary, effortful and artificial constructedness of this effect.

In this way, the activities of people are shown to momentarily and partially restore an ideal of presence which is constantly undermined by a perpetual loss, mourning, and absence when the people themselves are absent or still.

Installation

mourning becomes the law requires a PC or Mac with Flash Player installed, a video camera, data projector and sound system.