Paul Rooney’s practice consists of text, sound and video works that focus on the ‘voices’ of semi-fictional personas which are then presented as written, sung or spoken monologues. The exhibition Lost High Street comprised of two video pieces; a video of the same title and Monster. The opening of the exhibition was celebrated with a specially commissioned bus tour in conjunction with the launch of David Sherry & Move On's publication, 50% off.
The video Lost High Street takes the form of a fictional VHS tourist video. The viewer sees the trip from the tourist’s perspective, seated alone, at the back of an open-top bus. As we listen to the tourist speaking over the footage, it becomes apparent that he is unsure of his own past life, mixing what he thinks are his own memories with misheard fragments of the tour guide’s spiel. In the second of the two video works, Monster, a single male voice describes the experience of acute perception, poetically describing the experience of walking the streets of a city. This narrative is voiced over images of blurred reflections of people moving around the city of Melbourne, Australia.
Download the exhibition information here
Download the event information here
Read about Lost High Street in The Guardian.
Archive, Offsite, Events, One Mile: David Sherry & Move On, 50% off, 30 May 2008
This is an archived programme entry.
