Matilda Aslizadeh: Office

Exhibition

October 7 – November 5, 2005
Opening on Friday October 7, 5pm-7pm
Artist’s Talk on Saturday October 8 at 3pm

Project Description

Skol presents Office, a video work by Vancouver artist Matilda Aslizadeh. Set in a life insurance company, this complex video re-examines everyday rituals of the corporate workplace. Constructed using three separate streams of video, split screen techniques and sterile stock footage imagery create a beautiful and sophisticated visual order. Presented in a series of inside/outside office scenes, two main plots unfold via carefully mixed sound and tightly constructed images.

Seemingly vacuous clichés of the corporate workplace are re-examined. Various codes and cultural references are re-organized in a non-rational formalism. A mix of business babble, sales pitches and grape vine chatter create an absurd, yet poetic narrative. The script provides build-ups around personal tragedies, and ironic moments (when insurance companies are portrayed as saviours). Both subtle shifts and radical breaks in scale, sounds, and spatial relationships create moments of intense meaning and humanity.

Mirrored office buildings, background grids, symetric business suits, colour coordinated office supplies and furniture, landscaped green spaces and bright green tropical plants; all these elements provide great material for this unexpected , meaningful aural and visual esthetic experience.

Presented in two versions : short version and Director’s cut, it shows continuously from 12 to 5 pm, Tuesday to Saturday until november 5.