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Lookup NU author(s): Dr Rachel Wells
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Steve McQueen's 7 minute long film 'Static' (2009) is shot from a helicopter as it repeatedly circles the Statue of Liberty in New York. With each encircling, the film gets variously closer and further away from the Statue. McQueen's 35mm film, transferred to video, is projected across an entire wall in the gallery, and runs on a loop. While McQueen's work more broadly has received a lot of critical attention and acclaim, there is a paucity of research on 'Static'. The deceptively simple artwork presents a formal investigation of the medium of film while referencing many timely issues including freedom, migration, memory, surveillance and the threat of violence. The project will be divided into the following sections: Introduction (1500 words) - Rachel Wells Monumentality: The Statue of Liberty as Subject (3000 words) - Rachel Wells Medium: Motion and Static on Film (3000 words) - Rachel Wells Distance: Physical and Political (3000 words) - Rachel Wells The Poetic Nature of Static (3000 words) - Rod Mengham
Author(s): Wells R, Mengham R
Series Editor(s): Mundy J.
Publication type: Online Publication
Publication status: Published
Series Title: Tate 'In Focus Project'
Year: 2017
Acceptance date: 09/05/2017
ISBN: 9781849765367
Publisher: Tate
Place Published: London
Type of Medium: Research Publication
URL: http://www.tate.org.uk/research/publications/in-focus/static-steve-mcqueen
Notes: Tate's 'In Focus' projects are competitively selected and peer reviewed research publications which present a sustained and collaborative investigation of a single artwork. The publications are c. 15000 words in length, generously illustrated, and available online for free. Following the publication of my commissioned article for 'Henry Moore: Sculptural Process and Public Identity' (2015), I was invited by Tate to submit a proposal for an 'In Focus' research publication. Since its acceptance I have led this interdisciplinary research project on Steve McQueen's artwork 'Static' (2009). Dr Rod Mengham (Reader in English at Cambridge University and acclaimed poet) has contributed a 3000 word piece to the publication on the poetic nature of Static. The manuscript has been peer-reviewed and is now in the final stages of publication.
