‘ART IS A WAY OF NOT DECIDING'
Momen sin ime
Rosie Lesso speaks to Johanna Billing about her films which combine quiet, everyday experiences with something stranger and darker
odern lile often loreex ll\ into strange and ankuard social situations. something Snedixh artist .lohanna Billing seems painl‘till} an are of home“ here heIueen doetiment and lietion. her films reeord moments that \he hree/il} eallx ‘on the \tirl‘aee. quiet. normal and e\er_\da_\‘ htit \xhieh heeome inereasingl} ‘tl}\l'iiiie‘tiiiii;il and \\eird’. IIer this e\hihitioii at Dundee (‘ontemporar§ .-\rt\. \xhieh eoilteidex \\ ith an e\hihition at .\Ill\L‘tlln l'tir (iegenxxartxktinxt in Basel. takes a more di\er\e. l‘L‘ll'tl\pL‘L‘li\L‘ look at IiiIIing‘\ praetiee. \ILIL‘H\ ranging from I‘N‘) onnard. and some norks \xith personal or aiitohiographieal eontent.
The film ‘(iraduate Show (I‘N‘H. l'or e\ample. “as made IiUl‘ Billing'x LIL‘gl‘L‘L‘ \Ittm at L'HIIL‘gL‘ in Sneden. and \Ito\\\ l‘ellon students daneing together in an iinehoreographed \xa}. 'I'he aukxxard. unprofessional daneers ereate the feeling that man) graduates ha\ e ahoiit their gauk} degree shows not ‘taking riskx'. or full} representing their ideals. Ii\eerpt\ from the ongoing proieet 'You Don’t I.o\e .\Ie Yet' \xill al\o he \Ito\\n. in \xhieh a range of muxieianx and artixtx ha\ e I‘L‘CII l‘L‘e‘Ul'dL‘d making their o\\n Ct“ L‘l' \L‘l'\i0n\ UI' [Ili\ reI;ili\eI} tinknonn Suedixh song from 1084. Billing \xax initiall} so atti‘aeted to this song iiol heeattxe of its heaiit) or iiotoriet}. hut heeaiixe ‘it “as so strange. Ik‘callu‘ I didn't IikL‘ it and didn't l'L‘aII} llliLICl'\I;tllLI lIlL‘ l_\rie~.‘ The more reeent l‘ilm ‘I’roieet for the
Re\oliition' iZtlllli is equall} unnening. a group of
disall‘eeted wants in an austere spaee hanging around. perpetuall) \xaiting for something that nexer eomex. Billing deserihex it as 'atistere. like a waiting room or a
\eene from a fashion shoot'. the lidgeting partieipantx seeming genuineh iiiieoniliirtahle in the \paee.
.ltidith “infer. the reeentl) appointed Hepttl) I)ireetor ol' .'\rt\ at I)('.'\ is partiettlarl} interested in momentx like these in Billings \\ork. uhieh 'loeiix )Ulll‘ attention on \er} ineidental. hut none the lexx \igiiil'ieant moments in time". she \a_\\. "I‘hexe moments ean \peak to the aiidienee ahoiit our o\\n e\perienee\. oiir oun indeeixion and our on n eonteinporar) human eondition. I read some“ here an aeeotint of \\ h} \he \lal‘led making art'. \he eontinuex. ‘and this reth \triiek a ehord \xith me. The artist mentioned her interest in lilll\lL'. histor). \oeiaI \CIL‘nCL‘. PIIIIUMlPII}. hut \\IiL‘n \he had It) L'Iiiiiiw a direelion \he panieked. I think she deserihed ehooxing art as a \\a) of not deeiding.’ Ihix 'iiot deeiding' has allou ed Billing to ereate di\er\e film and lilthiL‘ projeetx and set up a reeord lahel ealled ‘.\Iake It Happen in eollahoration \\ ith her hrother. in \xhieh the} promote e\periiiiental. tinknoun lilll\le'lan\.
I)('.-\'\ t}piea| f'oeiix on a range oi multi-media projeetx makes it an ideal platform from \\hieh to promote her \\itl'k. a Ik‘IiCI‘ \Iial'L‘tI It} IIIC al'li\l IIL‘I'\CIIV. Ilouexer unlike eomentional films \he inxistx \ieuing hers need not he a linear. straightforxxard e\perienee in \\hieh \ieners must passnel} reeei\e the work. and \iateh eaeh pieee from heginning to end. Instead the} ean he dipped in and out of. ereating hroken narrati\e\ \\hieh t‘eIale I3iIIIllg'\ [H'aL'IIL‘L‘ L‘ItMCl' \IIII It) [IIC fragmented nature ol‘ our e\er_\da} Ines.
Johanna Billing, Keep on Doing, Dundee Contemporary Arts, Dundee, until Sun 4 Nov
Visual Art >l<
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THE LIST 89