mono.kultur #24: Cyprien Gaillard
Dust Lines
[...] Cyprien Gaillard examines the buildings and landscapes as well as the people who inhabit them. In previous works, the modernist housing block was a recurring theme, a structure associated with the utopian aspirations of the architectural avant-garde in the early 20th century that became ubiquitous in the post-war era. As many of the buildings turned into failed experiments, municipalities in various regions decided to dismantle the structures. At times, the demolitions were turned into spectacular sound and light shows. Gaillard has examined these buildings from different vantage points: depicting them as monuments that conjure up associations with ancient ruins or medieval castles, as backdrops for fringe group behaviour, as sites for mega-spectacles, and once demolished, as massive installations. The digital video Desniansky Raion rehearses these aspects particularly vigorously but they find expression in a number of other works as well. Within these spaces, Gaillard occasionally turns his eye to the rituals of young men (binge-drinking students in Cancún, a gang member dancing, packs of young men meeting in a parking lot in St. Petersburg to fight each other) who appear briefly, like mirages, amidst tower blocks and ancient ruins. [...] (Englisch)
