Bodies of Vision, Bodies of Sound

<p>The narration of artist&nbsp;<a href="http://www.jillmagid.com/projects" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Jill Magid</a>&nbsp;moves through corners and rooms, over the slow panning shots of&nbsp;<a href="http://www.casaluisbarragan.org/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Casa Luis Barrag&aacute;n</a>. A quivering ambient hum underlies her voice, filling the house, at times imperceptible before murmuring into melody or bleeding into rhythm.</p> <p>In the tranquil outdoor courtyard of the house, nestled privately in a Mexico City neighbourhood, accent walls are situated organically around a waterfall and reflecting pools, grey stone sculptures and red clay vessels. All is water, clay, leaves, and cement arranged in shifting angles, like a Zen garden in an M.C. Escher universe.</p> <p><iframe frameborder="0" height="480" scrolling="no" src="https://cdn.embedly.com/widgets/media.html?src=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FjcYZEGqTstk%3Ffeature%3Doembed&amp;display_name=YouTube&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DjcYZEGqTstk&amp;image=https%3A%2F%2Fi.ytimg.com%2Fvi%2FjcYZEGqTstk%2Fhqdefault.jpg&amp;key=a19fcc184b9711e1b4764040d3dc5c07&amp;type=text%2Fhtml&amp;schema=youtube" title="The Proposal - Official Trailer - Oscilloscope Laboratories HD" width="854"></iframe></p> <p>It is the preserved home of acclaimed Mexican architect Luis Barrag&aacute;n (1902&ndash;1988) and a primary location at the heart of Magid&rsquo;s unconventional feature documentary film&nbsp;<a href="https://theproposal.oscilloscope.net/" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank"><em>The Proposal</em></a><em>&nbsp;</em>(2018, Oscilloscope Laboratories). The story follows the New York-based conceptual artist&rsquo;s journey into an international artworld conflict surrounding the legacy of Barrag&aacute;n&rsquo;s archives, embattled in a tense relationship that pits cultural value against the capitalist pillar of private ownership.</p> <p><em>The Proposal</em>&nbsp;developed from a years-long personal dialogue with Federica Zanco, the private owner of Barrag&aacute;n&rsquo;s professional archives in Switzerland, which culminates in a climactic &lsquo;proposal&rsquo; to Zanco: the exchange of the archives back to Mexico for a diamond ring made from Barrag&aacute;n&rsquo;s ashes &mdash; the body for the body of the work. Ultimately, Magid&rsquo;s close engagement with archives establishes her as an emergent key figure in a stunning &mdash; and controversial- new chapter.</p> <p><a href="https://medium.com/situated-magazine/bodies-of-vision-bodies-of-sound-c186ee8e7e69"><strong>Website</strong></a></p>
Tags: Bodies Vision