I have returned to study my MA in Fine Art at UCA Farnham this autumn. After many months away from the studio, the first project always represents a hurdle.
The first group show, one week into the term was titled “Generations and Nations”. With little time to create work, I opted for a video installation. My piece, entitled “Brexit nostalgia” seeks its inspiration from the German word “Ostalgie” (a nostalgia for elements of the DDR). What is it that Brexiteers are nostalgic for in today’s Brexit Britain?
Brexit could be seen as a similar Sehnsucht or longing for a Britain from the history books. This video is a recording of Sir Edward Elgar conducting “Pomp & Circumstance” on 26th June 1914, weeks before the start of the First World War.
For the show, I chose to hide the video recording inside a vintage suitcase and placed it on top of a ladder/pedestal. The viewer was invited to climb the stairs, as if climbing an altar. The sound, initially dampened by the suitcase becomes loud and intrusive once the viewer opens the lid. The music becomes slow and distorted, as the gramophone gradually grinds to a halt.