Concrete Playground

In Kathryn Gray’s 3-screened video work Contingency Plan we witness soundless interviews. Despite this absence, and thanks to the subtitles, you can understand fully the voice of the interviewee. They come across as determined and calculating, and standing amongst the screens, you feel as if you’re taking part in the conversation.

In stark contrast is Jim Allen’s video Poetry for Chainsaws. Here, the artist’s voice is present – reading Allen Ginsberg’s poem Howl – but totally obliterated by the noise of three chainsaws left to their own devices. Have a read of Allen’s statement and the accompanying essay, it will enrich your viewing of this evocative video work.


Image: Jim Allen, Poetry for Chainsaws, installation view, Artspace, Sydney 2009. Photo: Silversalt Photography.