GOLD a film by
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster and Ange Leccia
Artists in Residence [October 1 - 31, 1999]
due to be screened in
January 2000
Dominique
Gonzalez-Foerster and Ange Leccia were Artists in Residence with
Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibition during the month of October,
1999, in conjunction with Cote Ouest: A Season of Contemporary
Art . While in residency, Gonzalez-Foerster and Leccia began
principle production on their collaborative film Gold, (previously
titled Abstraction Valley), to be screened by Los Angeles
Contemporary Exhibitions upon its completion. During their residency
Gonzalez-Foerster and Leccia presented sevral lectures which were
be held on October 5 at 7:30 p.m. at Art Center College of Design,
on October 6 at 7:30 pm at the Santa Monica Museum of Art, and on
October 28 at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum of Contemporary Art.
Gold is a project
of psycho-geographical investigations. Beautifully shot on location
in desert regions throughout the southwest, Gold alludes
to the seductive lure of the American west and its history of speculation
and spectacle. Leccia and Gonzalez-Foerster weave a visual fabric
of color, pacing, sound, and movement, and by exploring narrative
and character through the abstraction and contradiction of traditional
filmic devices.
Similar to Hilton Internationals
appropriation of Paris, France for the purpose of a Las Vegas hotel
and casino, (recall those Vincente Minnelli-esque commercials, where
crews of movers strip the streets of all signs-Parisian), Gonzalez-Foerster
and Leccia remind the viewer that an understanding of location,
of place, of history, and ultimately, of identity, are tentatively
predicated on signifiers that are as mobile as stage props.
The artists return to
Los Angeles to present the premiere screening of their collaborative
film Gold. The film project began last October through a
residency sponsored by Los Angeles Contemporary Exhibitions, in
conjunction with the Cote Ouest exhibitions and the French
Ministry of Cultural Affairs, will be premiered in Hollywood.