London: Athens

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Eisa, Ali and Rees, Sebastian. 2021. London: Athens. In: Schloss Wiepersdorf Kulturstiftung, ed. Art in a Conflicted World: Trans-European Perspectives in the Age of Cultural Fragmentation. Berlin: DCV. ISBN 9783969120354 [Book Section]

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Official URL: https://dcv-books.com/en/produkt/art-in-a-conflict...

Abstract or Description

A photographic series and text work contributed as a section in the publication Art in a Conflicted World: Trans-European Perspectives in the Age of Cultural Fragmentation, published by Schloss Weipersdorf and DCV Books, Germany.

Lloyd Corporation were artists-in-residence as part of their Fellowship at Schloss Weipersdorf during 2020, at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. During this (online) period the artists produced London:Athens - a new series of photographs documenting street notices and advertisements found across the two cities since March 2020. Taken by the artists as they navigated and explored the streets during recent lockdowns, the images make visible a multitude of personal and public responses to the unprecedented conditions we currently face in the city.

The photographs focus our attention to street notices that particularly respond to the coronavirus pandemic, as well as local and global political conflicts. By documenting these typically overlooked materials, we are drawn into a complex space of public and private worlds, where anonymous statements call out an array of urgent issues, competing ideologies and everyday personal struggles. From racial justice and anti-fascist protests, to coronavirus conspiracies, to precarious employment and lost pets.

Posted anonymously, these notices and adverts form a kind of public conversation in the city, as we encounter their messages taped and stuck to the urban fabric. What do they reveal about the lives of those who placed them in the streets? How do they disclose both personal and social experiences of the current conflicts in the city triggered by public health and political crises? Alongside the photographs is a transcript of WhatsApp conversations between the artists over the same time period, detailing their unfolding responses to this momentous period of upheaval and conflict across the globe.

Alongside the photographic series is a text work based on a transcript of WhatsApp conversations between the artists over the same period. Detailing their unfolding responses to this period of upheaval and conflict, the dialogue follows a loose chronology of recent events as experienced by the artists. From receiving news about family members contracting covid to discussions of current affairs reporting, the work highlights the ongoing political commentary, exchange and friendship that sits at the heart of the artists collaborative practice, often serving as the starting point or context from which their visual works emerge.

London:Athens builds on Lloyd Corporation’s long held interest and collection of street notices and advertisements over the last six years. Their investigation has included documenting and collecting hundreds of posters, messages, stickers, signs and other urban ephemera from different countries around the world. Utilising these materials in photographic and installation works, the project brings to light complex, conflicting social interactions and informal communications that occur, person to person and in public, across urban spaces.

More information on Art in A Conflicted World: Trans-European Perspectives in the Age of Cultural Fragmentation

“Since the turn of the millennium, much of the world has become an increasingly unstable and dissonant place. Sharp disruptions define many aspects of our social, cultural, and political relations. Art in a Conflicted World addresses this evolving reality, featuring critical positions articulated by visual artists and writers from Ukraine, Russia, and Great Britain—regions embroiled in extraordinary strife and upheaval. The publication takes a frank look at these multifaceted states of social dissonance and reflects them in diverse artistic and literary inquiries and responses. The contributions are the fruits of an interdisciplinary fellowship program at Kulturstiftung Schloss Wiepersdorf that offers the participants an opportunity to gain fresh creative and cultural insights, test ways of engaging with complexity, and develop models for the future that transcend national boundaries.” (DCV)

The publication presents works by Sarah Dobai, Nikita Kadan, Ali Eisa and Sebastian Lloyd Rees (Lloyd Corporation) as well as writings by Alisa Ganieva and Tanya Breslin Zaharchenko.

The project was mentored by Wolfgang Tillmans, Tom McCarthy, Katharina Raabe, and Mark Gisbourne and received funding support from the German Federal Foreign Office.

Item Type:

Book Section

Keywords:

Conflict, Landscapes, Urban, Vernacular, Informality, Photography

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