courage | clarity | creativity
Asylum is a large scale, in-depth exploration of the conceptual construction and manipulated media meaning of America, shown first at the Centraal Museum in Utrecht as part of 'This is America'.
It seeks to confront the complexity of the culture of America and asks difficult questions about identity, conformity, complicity and consumerism. The 5 films run independently but simultaneously, with surround sound overlapping soundtracks, then join together both visually and for the audio, in an emotional climax that reflects the tremendous sadness of America's illusory myths and broken promises. There is a 'witness' stand in the center of the pentagon of screens, where visitors can position themselves, and wall length, outsized 'ticker tape' in the style of Fox News, or CNN, along the walls. The words are a contradictory reflection of the cognitive dissonance at the heart of America.
