Renaissance Society presents Emmanuelle Antille

Angels Camp - First Songs

Resources Video Clip: Emmanuelle Antille Angels Camp - First Songs 2003 Large format (5.6mb) Web format (2.1mb) Web streaming (2.3mb) Email format (1mb) Stills: Emmanuelle Antille Angels Camp - First Songs 2003 Emmanuelle Antille Angels Camp - First Songs 2003 Related events: Artist Talk at Renaissance Society Artist Talk at Alliance Francaise Concert: Marc Unternaehrer, Tuba with Ensemble Noamnesia Museum information: The Renaissance Society 5811 S. Ellis Avenue Bergman Gallery, Cobb Hall 418 Hours: Tues-Fri 10 am-5 pm, Sat & Sun 12-5 pm. Closed Mondays. Admission to the gallery and all events is free. www.renaissancesociety.org

A recurring fantasy in film and literature is the fate of characters exiled to a place where the structures of society no longer apply. Angels Camp-First Songs is a four screen video installation featuring an array of characters who in Antille's words "have decided to run away from society" to a place "where they build their own rules." Lasting a total of eighteen minutes, the work contains both the magic and violence of a fairy tale. It begins with an angel who doubles as a chanteuse. Played by Antille, this character opens and concludes the piece. Based on her actions, her position is one of judgment and/or an "immoral 'angel'" requiring sacrifice. The remaining characters form a makeshift family of refugees whose raucous play reveals both the liberating and negative aspects of their freedom. 

Born in Lausanne, Switzerland in 1972 Antille belongs to a growing number of artists (Pierre Huyghe, Catherine Sullivan, Katarzyna Kozyra, Isaac Julien) who use the gallery space and the medium of video to reconfigure the traditional cinematic experience. But unlike that of her colleagues, Antille's work is derived from longer narrative videos. Both the feature length video and the installation, however, are allowed to function independently of one another, each a work in its own right. For Angels Camp-First Songs, Antille has chosen particular scenes from the end of a 78 min. work simply entitled Angels Camp. Shot over the course of 2001-2002, Angels Camp is divided into four chapters, one for each season. It involves such themes as the discrepancy between dream and reality, and mother/daughter relations that run throughout all of her work.  Angels Camp-First Songs extends the notion of kin to a Swiss Family Robinson of happenstance. The use of multiple screens allows the piece to unfold in a non-linear manner. Their number and scale (10' x 13') provide for a "direct and immediate" experience precluding the need for a story-line linking the characters. In short, the viewer is placed in the action of this uncharted desert isle. 

RELATED EVENTS

Artist Talk
Sunday, March 9, 5:00 to 6:00 pm.
Cobb Hall room 307 (directly below the gallery)

Artist Talk at Alliance Francaise– "First Songs: Histoire d'un Tournage"
Monday, March 10, 12:00 pm
Antille presents further background on the genesis of this video shoot. Presented and sponsored by Alliance Francaise, Chicago and Pro Helvetia, Zurich, Switzerland. A light lunch will be offered by the Consulate General of Switzerland. This lecture will take place at Alliance Francaise, 54 W. Chicago Ave. No charge, but RSVP Required by March 7 to 312-337-1070.

Concert: Marc Unternaehrer, Tuba with Ensemble Noamnesia
Tuesday, May 14, 8:00 pm
Tuba talent extraodinaire, Marc Unternaehrer comes to Chicago from Lucern. His repertoire of solo works for tuba includes compositions by Luigi Nono and Giacinto Scelsi among others. This concert will feature these as well as works for small chamber ensembles by Swiss composers including Roman Haubenstock-Ramatti and Beat Furrer performed with members of Ensemble Noamnesia. This concert will take place in the gallery. FREE

MUSEUM INFORMATION:
Established in 1915, The Renaissance Society is Chicago’s oldest contemporary art museum. Focusing on the forefront of the visual arts, The Renaissance Society maintains an international reputation as one of the finest resources for contemporary art. In addition to exhibitions, The Renaissance Society also sponsors concerts, performances, film and video screenings, and talks by noted artists and critics.