Smadar Dreyfus: Lifeguards
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Ikon Gallery
Smadar Dreyfus: Lifeguards
23 Nov – 10 Dec, 12pm - 6pm (closed Sundays, Mondays and Tuesdays)
Venue: The Chapel & Sunday School, 181 Fazeley Street (on the corner of Fazeley Street and Floodgate Street)
www.ikon-gallery.co.uk
Dreyfus’ two screen audio-visual installation addresses a gap between perception and cultural understanding.
The work presents a crowd of women and children playing in the water off the Tel Aviv beach, a typical image of leisure. Shot from a distance and screened silently, the peaceful scene alternates with an immersive soundscape and the rapid fire of the lifeguards’ commands.
Their speech is translated by subtitles, which flash onto the screen, often so fast that they can barely be read. They are actually warning bathers away from currents, rocks and jelly fish.
The artist focuses on the way culture is expressed within public speech, emphasising the rupture between the lifeguard’s militant tone and the caring and protective content of their speech. Their performance of security is made all the more troubling by its total integration with everyday life.
The experience of the installation is intensified by switching between the contrasting elements, positioning the viewer between the spoken and written word, light and darkness, powerful sound and complete silence.
