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FUTILE FIRES
2014 | durational performance, looping, split-channel digital video and sound (looping every 28 minutes)
Futile Fires centers on a durational performance where a fire is tendered but never fully realized. In juxtaposition is the short action of cutting wood, which interrupts the overall viewing of the performance through an interjection of abrupt cuts of audio and image. Both of these occur indefinitely, playing back on continual loop. In the futility of these actions comes the tension of a desired and assumed outcome. The viewer is given the option to endure or dismiss these actions as they occur within the space over time. To endure comes a state of tranquil disappointment. To dismiss is to entertain the assumption that the actions will progress with no particular consequence and fulfill their traditional outcomes.
Futile Fires is an exercise in alternative time-keeping, a reflection on patience, and an examination of two ways of understanding the scale of time through laborious action.
Documentation | Kellen Walker
Technical Assistance | Justin Botz