Pipilotti Rist: Open My Glade Video

Posted on Mar 13, 2012 in Open My Glade, Projects, Video

Other Sights is pleased to present Open My Glade by Swiss artist Pip­i­lotti Rist. The art­work con­sists of a series of 9 one-minute videos inserted into the flow of out­door adver­tis­ing screens. The works sar­donic humour and insights intrude on our encounter with urban social space and exert a pow­er­ful and sen­sual presence.

Orig­i­nally com­mis­sioned in 2000 by the Pub­lic Art Fund as a pres­ence within the elec­tronic maze of Times Square in New York City, the artist is lit­er­ally immersed in the cor­po­rate stream of images. Eyes fixed on the passersby, she vis­cer­ally exam­ines the lim­its of the screens sur­face; her con­torted face and makeup smears reveal a bar­rier to escape. Open My Glade dis­rupts our habit­ual ambiva­lence to a relent­less con­sumer spec­ta­cle, instill­ing empa­thy; we cant help but watch.