David
Media: Video and sound
Duration: 13 minutes
A tender compilation of moments is captured between a father and his child in the video "David". Frames are isolated as a series of pictorial images with subtle interventions of the moving image.
The colour blue is used in the backdrop because of its association with the Madonna. Historically this colour was used because of the precious nature of lapis lazuli. The Madonna and Child iconography in Western European art reflects the humanist dream of an Ideal Woman and a Harmonious Life. References to the Madonna and Child in this work are also present in the seating composition, gestures and eye contact.
Assumptions, wishes and dreams are enshrined in the many depictions of of the symbolic relationship between Mother and Child. It is difficult to find a corresponding portrayal of Father and Child in the secular, mythological and religious cannons of literature and art.
The soundscape composed by Joe Harney uses fragments of the clarinet chopped up to remove any breathing or finger sounds in a stretched melodic phase. The male vocals sit evenly with the instrumental piece producing a harmonious and contemplative flow.
This work is a meditation and exploration of the Father and Child relationship. Slowing down the action which is often associated with the male and presenting the nurturing intimacy often associated with the female attempts to open the dialogue about perceived roles and the complexity of relationships.