08/09/2007 - 23/09/2007

Borderline

Nooshin Farhid

Preview: Friday 7th Sep, 7-10pm

Borderline is a new installation by Nooshin Farhid. The installation incorporates projected and monitor based imagery that exploits and situates the spectator within both public and more intimately, private viewing contexts. The structuring of the installation reflects one of Farhid’s interests, the crossover between genres, for example in this piece the slippage between documentary, fictional and aesthetic styles.

The notion of the border, a line between adversaries, territories in conflict or the space between our own certainty and uncertainty, the known and the unknown is explored. The borderline becomes a site of dispute, one to be observed or transgressed whilst within the individual psyche to cross the ‘line’ is to enter into uncharted waters.

Farhid uses the night, darkness as a space in which all physical and tactile references are absent; removed, the experience of events beyond and outside of our control confronts us. A visual and conceptual ambiguity comes into play as events are enacted, revealed and concealed. Our certainty is that there are things happening beyond what we can perceive, a tension is created as flickers of light and explosive bursts act as transitory illumination. The fragmentary structure of the installation adds to a sense of edginess an unease that is further evoked by the simultaneous use of the narrative and the spectacle, for instance, with the image of ‘survivors’ disembarking on an anonymous quayside and the visually powerful image of flames engulfing a boat at sea.

Nooshin Farhid was born in Iran and lives and works in London, she has exhibited widely both nationally and internationally. Her exhibition projects include 16th International Art Festival in Sao Paolo Brazil, 2007; Under a New Sky, Birmingham 2007; Merz= at the Kunstverein Bregenz, Austria, 2006; ‘to be continued....’ At The Helsinki Photography Festival (selected by The British Council) 2005; Under Control at Forum Stadtpark Graz Austria, 2005; Subject to Endless Gossip, SparwaserHQ, Berlin 2004.