Laure Prouvost
»Monolog«, 2009
Video, colour and b/w, sound, 9:00 min.
Courtesy Laure Prouvost and MOTINTERNATIONAL

May 13 – June 23, 2011

Invited by Dr. Inke Arns (Director, Hartware MedienKunstVerein, Dortmund)

»Monolog« (2009)

A door slams, the film begins. »Thank you for coming.« The artist’s tone is laconic. For a fraction of a second, we see the image of a fresh lung. The voice emanates from the torso filling the screen, and the hand belonging to it suddenly points to the right and into the audience: »I am talking to you, there«. The viewers feel caught out. The artist is complaining about the projection, as it’s neither good enough nor big enough – after all, it’s cutting off her head, arms and legs. Are we feeling cold? We’re briefly allowed to warm ourselves at the image of a campfire. Then we are off again through a breathless mix of instructions, commands, instructions, images flaring up briefly as if shot inadvertently, as far as mistakes in translation and misunderstandings, which result from the divergence of spoken language and written text. In very few words, Laure Prouvost’s Monolog also plumbs the potential of the situation governing the projection for causing embarrassment: »I don’t mind you talking.« And again we feel caught out. The artist shows us some holiday pictures: a sailing yacht on a blue sea, young people on it in swimming trunks and bikinis. »Pity we’re here and not there.« How true, we think. »Concentrate!« – »I am not making things up.« Cut!

Laure Prouvost (*1978 in Lille, France) completed her studies at Central Saint Martins College of Arts and at present lives and works in London, where she has been collaborating with LUX, the United Kingdom’s best known agency for video art, for many years.

Text: Dr. Inke Arns

Website of the artist: www.laureprouvost.com