Champagne Valentine. Blast Theory | An Explicit Volume. The nine books are arranged in a three by three grid. Each book is operated by an electronic page turner. The project is sited in a darkened space where four red vinyl chairs are arranged facing the books, across an expanse of white furry carpet. A single touch screen allows you to control the page turners while the other visitors spectate. The books display a collection of pornographic images, some chosen and some made by the members of Blast Theory. All the images – including those made by Blast Theory – are available on the internet.
Each image is spread across all nine books so that individual books only show one ninth of each image. When you enter the installation, you are presented with a selection of fragments from this collection of images. An Explicit Volume uses internet imagery in tension with handmade books as a way of investigating the effect that different media have on our viewing. Central to these anxieties is the issue of control. Zoë MacDonell - Fantasyland.
Edward Burtynsky on manufactured landscapes. Jon Cohrs.