Sitting somewhere between conceptual art and photo-journalism, the work of Richard Mosse captures the beauty and tragedy of war-torn landscapes. His most recent work “Incoming”, currently on show at The Barbican’s Curve Gallery, presents a major multi-channel video installation created in collaboration with cinematographer Trevor Tweeten and composer Ben Frost. The installation exposes the perilous routes taken by refugees to Europe; presenting a stark portrait of the worst forced displacement crises in history.
“Incomings,” by Richard Mosse. Photo by Tristan Fewings
The Curve gallery is situated within the barbican, one of the most diverse venues for the arts in London. Characterised by its crescent moon shape, it stands out from the usual white cube. Richard Mosse carefully weaves a narrative through the curve and between his works. Visitors are swallowed up into an immersive soundscape, as an aggressive play unfolds between the static and moving imagery in the blackened space.
Deploying New Technology
The work was created using an advanced new thermographic weapon and border imaging technology used in combat to identify the enemy. It is a camera that can see beyond 30km and registers the heat signature of relative temperature difference, rendering the world into detailed grades of black and white. Never before utilised for storytelling purposes, Richard Mosse subverts this camera’s purpose, inviting viewers to contemplate the politics of its own agency. What does it mean for the camera to be a weapon?
“Incomings,” by Richard Mosse. Photo by Tristan Fewings
The first physical work visitors are met with is a moving image display, reminiscent of one of Nam June Paik’s video matrix pieces. It operates like a corporate video wall advert with its neat framing and mesmerising effect. Behind the footage of foliage and leafy shadows, figures emerge making their way through vast stretches of temporary housing. The images are pin-sharp and visually stunning; and I wonder whether this exhibition will reduce the refugee crisis to another media spectacle. A short walk on and there are two prints on the curved wall depicting detailed panoramas of refugee camps. The photos have a metallic surface. They are the reflective objects, inviting stillness and contemplative thought; the mise-en-scène for the predominant film to follow.
Depicting The Horror Of Human Struggle
The main film work is confrontational; it fiercely portrays the horror of a desperate human struggle. First you hear it and then you see it and, when you do, it is unsettling. The sound controls the tone; shifting between a slow hypnotic trance to jarring deafening noise. Upbeat music lifts away from the heavy moments of mourning. It’s the sort of sound that vibrates in your chest bones. Projected onto three large screens, the searing lens presents the viewers with scenes we may have seen on the news, but never imagined. I soon realise that this show is far more than just an aesthetic gimmick.
“Incomings,” by Richard Mosse. Photo by Tristan Fewings
The temperature is dazzling. As I watch, my eyes feel the heat as if before a blazing bonfire. White hot smoke permeates the air as a group of teenagers look on as the Calais jungle is burnt to the ground. Another home is decimated and the thick air is melting. Warm hands leave prints on cold hypothermic bodies wrapped in blankets attempting to heat them up. Then there are the breathing masks and a body bag is unzipped. A group of doctors assiduously perform an autopsy into the rotten flesh of a drowned child to extract a segment of bone for identification.
Who Is The Ally And Who Is The Enemy?
There is tension at play between some deeply tender moments and their dehumanisation via the grey other-ing of these people and their portrayal as biological traces. Skin pigments are mixed with patches of temperature and dirt. Bodies are playing, bodies are praying and bodies are piled onto boats. Who is the ally and who is the enemy here? The camera returns to the sea, where light dapples on the crests of waves. The camera zooms, spins and the film is blurred as light reflections shoot past; playing games with what can be revealed. A scene of a boy looking through a telescope at the moon, partially hidden by shadow. A drone takes off and I wonder what the media will shed light on tomorrow.
“Incomings,” by Richard Mosse. Photo by Tristan Fewings
Like the bone of the dead child, Mosse’s aesthetics have been dissected slowly and handled with immense care. The camera has been listened to and reconciled with the harsh reality of conflict and displacement. Through a landscape configured by temperature, this work re-analyses a political crisis on the most basic human terms. This wordless poetry is not fictional; there are no alternative facts here. Transcending the language of the media, Richard Mosse exposes a glowing and haunting narrative, and it is traumatic .”Incoming” is a monumental work that will stay with the viewers for a while. Sometimes art can reveal more truth than a news stream ever will.
“Incomings” is on show at The Barbican’s Curve Gallery until 23 April 2017