The Past Was a Mirage I’d Left Far Behind

The Bloomberg Commission
Josiah McElheny: The Past Was a Mirage I’d Left Far Behind
Whitechapel Gallery, Gallery 2 until 19 August 2012. Admission Free.

Karl Hyde, one of the founders and member of the electronic music group Underworld and the design collective Tomato, selects abstract films that form the basis of reconfigured projections.

New York-based artist Josiah McElheny uses light and mirrors for his Bloomberg Commission to transform the Whitechapel Gallery into a hall of mirrors. Seven large-scale, mirrored sculptures are arranged as multiple reflective screens for the artist’s interpretation of groundbreaking experimental abstract films which change throughout the year.

For the final stage of the commission, Karl Hyde has been invited by McElheny to handpick a series of films. A highlight of Hyde’s selection includes experimental early films by Underworld and Tomato. Underworld often incorporated these films in their live shows, projecting them onto huge screens. Shown alongside these works, Hyde has selected a series of historic abstract films which have inspired and influenced his own work.

For more information and details head to www.whitechapelgallery.org/home