Date 2010

Medium: Video loop on DVD

Duration: 21min 42sec

Description:

A pair of hands are submerged in milk in a steel bowl covered with 23ct gold. Slowly  the milk drains from the vessel revealing an object cradled in the hands before the bowl fills up with liquid again. The process almost seamlessly repeats revealing a series of objects that appear almost completely unconnected but for their inclusion in the work: a compass, a length of rope, engraved razor blades, a Kruger Rand, sewing needles and various sewing tools, a fish, and a rabbit’s skull amongst others.

There is a slow transformation of color and light that occurs as the milk drains from the bowl revealing to gold surface: gradually the image becomes saturated and visibly brightens until parts of it suffer from almost complete color burnout. This was not accomplished in post-production editing but, rather, formed an integral part of the technical process of capturing the event on camera.

The work is part of a series of new projects all focused on exploring the history, mythology and impact of the discovery of gold in the ‘new world’ (Africa, America, Australia etc). Also see the works ‘ProSpecter’, ‘Blood Rites’ and ‘Challenging Mud (After Kazuo Shiraga)’.