A unique press installation is the star attraction for this year’s Sydney Festival, as renowned French artist Christian Boltanski unveils his latest exhibit at Carriageworks from tomorrow. For this monumental art installation, entitled Chance, Boltanski has constructed a giant web newspaper press from nearly 20 tonnes of scaffolding, piping and computer screens, promising a singular and confronting exploration of identity, life, death and chance.
Widely acknowledged as one of France’s most important living artists, 69-year-old Boltanski invites his audience to the step into the heart of the industrial monstrosity, resembling an enormous web printing press. Running the entire length of the Carriageworks foyer, the ‘press’ bangs through an endless, high-speed web showing 6000 black and white photos of one-day-old Polish babies. At seemingly random intervals a bell sounds and the presses slam to a halt, extracting one of the images to fleetingly appear on a large screen before the giant gears roar back to life.
- Christian Boltanski, invites you to step into the heart of a giant printing press
The exhibit combines three distinct works, each interrogating different aspects of Boltanski’s life-long contemplations on chance and identity, life and death. The centrepiece, entitled Wheel of Fortune, is undoubtedly the giant, thundering web that runs the entire length of the Carriageworks foyer. A striking fusion of film reel and printing press, according to Boltanski this industrial age quotation is crucial to expose that “what we are is only a question of chance.”
Chance was first unveiled at the 2011 Venice Biennale, where Boltanski was tasked with filling the famous French pavilion, and met with critical acclaim. It has also been shown in Brasil and the Netherlands. For this latest iteration Boltanski has drawn inspiration, in part, from the rich industrial heritage of the former Eveleigh rail yard site occupied by Carraigeworks.
According to Lisa Havliah, director of Carriageworks, “We consider Christian to be one of the most important and influential artists at this time.”
To experience the heart of his contorted printing press, Chance will be on show from January 9 to March 23. To learn more, visit http://www.carriageworks.com.au/?page=Event&event=Christian-Boltanski-Chance