Rod Dickinson-CLOSED CIRCUIT (WHO, WHAT, WHERE, WHEN, WHY AND HOW #2)

Rod Dickinson is a visual artist and lecturer in media and cultural studies at the University of West England in Bristol. His art work revolves around the subject of social control systems and the ways in which responsive social structures (i.e. the media) affect our own actions.
Grounding his approach in a detailed investigation of past occurrences and current situations, the author portrays events which represented a specific mechanism of social control with incredible sharpness.

Closed Circuit (Who, What, Where, When, Why and How #2) is an interesting performance in the form of a press conference, which serves as a foundation for the author to explore the historical form and role of presidential speeches as well as the concept of communicating with the media. A press conference is adjusted to the media – news and information are designed so as to fit in with the television or newspaper format, stories are adjusted as regards content and length, etc.

The media these days often determine the way in which we are to respond to, for example, conflicts or accidents in society. Messages from the media are actually the determining factors of our political and social reality. The actors use historical speeches of different politicians – from Milošević to Reagan – as their tool, mixing them and then recomposing them into a new (sensible) whole.

Concept: Rod Dickinson in collaboration with Steve Rushton
Performed by: Albert Welling, William Neenan
Makeup: Vesna Mršič
Supported by the Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Slovenia and the Municipality of Ljubljana
Acknowledgements: Arts Council England, Smart Project Space
Production: Aksioma – Institute for Contemporary Art, Ljubljana / www.aksioma.org
Co-production: Zavod Bunker

30 minut / minutes

Performance is in English language.