The Flickr Courtisanefestival Image Generatr

Very brief (and rough) documentation of “The Rapture” - optokinetic video and sound installation by art project Disinformation, exhibited at Cable Depot, Woolwich, 7 June to 31 July 2022. NB: headphones essential.

The video depicts (in order) the “The Allegorical Portrait of Roger Bacon” (photomontage by Joe Banks, 1997), “The Rapture” video artwork (refer to the “full text”, link below), and the information resources available to visitors during the exhibition. The information table included print-outs of the full exhibition text (see links) plus Disinformation print materials; images of Batō Kannon - the Buddhist deity, and (male) manifestation of (or attendant to) the (female) “Goddess of mercy and compassion” Kannon; plus illustrations from the “Mirâj Namêh” (“Night Journey”) of the Persian poet Mir Haydar, illustrated by Mâlik Bakshî, in Uyghur script. The “Mirâj Namêh” depicts the Prophet, with burning halo, riding Buraq, the mythical horse, meeting the angel Azrael and (look carefully, on the left) a polycelaphic or multi-headed angel, clearly influenced by Buddhist and Hindu concepts. The style of particularly the clouds in these drawings is also influenced by Chinese art.

“The Rapture” (and accompanying materials) explore the notion of syncretic and universal aspects of transcendent thoughts, when individuals confront profound and/or terrifying life experiences and/or contemplate mortality. The installation alludes to forms of experience shared by individuals from wildly diverse religious backgrounds, and indeed from none - united in the experience of what Sigmund Freud (quoting the art historian Romain Rolland) referred to as “oceanic” feelings.

While the figure featured in “The Rapture” video is pre-recorded, the burning halo that surrounds that figure is produced live. The halo is however (owing to difficulty filming low light levels) much more clearly visible in the following demonstration video –

The Rapture - www.flickr.com/disinfo/52202431425/

Full exhibition text – cable-depot.com/disinformation/

Special thanks to Iavor Lubomirov, Paul Carey-Kent, Melissa Evans and Lara Cory.

A5 postcard [front and back] advertising "The Origin of Painting" exhibition by Disinformation, Usurp Gallery, London, 15 Jan to 13 March 2011. The exhibition featured the "The Origin of Painting" [electromagnetic sound + optokinetic light installation], "Fire in the Eye" [photographs and video installation] and "Rorschach Audio" [exhibition soundtrack].

As a special case, this exhibition was delivered pro-bono, with Disinformation neither requesting nor receiving any fee.

Oneohtrix Point Never (Daniel Lopatin)

A Lecture on Schizophonia (Erik Bünger)