New dates for the screening of Douglas Gordon's 'The End of Civilisation' in New York
Date uploaded: September 3, 2012
Douglas Gordon, The End of Civilisation
New dates have been announced for the screening of Douglas Gordon's 'End of Civilisation' in New York:
8th September - 13th October, 2012
Gagosian Gallery
522 West 21st Street
New York, NY 10011
The End of Civilisation is a co-commission by Great North Run Culture and Locus+
In The End of Civilisation, a grand piano burns at a remote site deep in the Cumbrian landscape. This lushly green and desolate locale overlooking the boundary between England and Scotland was once the border of the Roman Empire. The grand piano, emblematic of high culture as both a finely crafted instrument and a beautiful sculptural object, is destroyed at the primeval edge of civilisation. With this symbolic conflagration, Gordon re-enacts an ancient local tradition of igniting beacons as an admonition or communication. Inspired in part by the journey of the 2012 Olympic torch across the British Isles, The End of Civilisation is both a celebration and a warning -- of fire as a symbol of optimism and hope, but also of risk, danger, and destruction.
The film is shown on multiple screens and with layered sound. One screen is devoted to a close recording of the burning piano, from when it is first set alight to it being reduced to ashes. Another presents a panning shot of the tranquil surrounding landscape—occasionally, licks of flame or wisps of smoke invade the periphery of the screen, the only indication that the seemingly serene landscape is in close proximity to a raging fire.
The End of Civilisation was first screened on July 5, 2012 at the Tyne Theatre, on the site of Hadrian’s Wall in Newcastle upon Tyne City Centre as part of the London 2012 Cultural Olympiad.
More information on the project and a behind the scenes short film by the Northern Stars Young Filmmakers' Academy can be seen here.
The End of Civilisation is the third and final project of the True Spirit co-commissions by Great North Run Culture and Locus+. Funded by Arts Council England, the work explores the True Spirit of the Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Cultural Olympiad.
