Thursday, February 6, 2014

Kristan Horton | Dr Strangelove Dr Strangelove










Kristan Horton
Dr Strangelove Dr Strangelove
Toronto, Canada: Art Gallery of York University, 2007
208 pp., 6.75 x 12"., hardcover
Edition size unknown

After watching Stanley Kubrick's classic 1964 film Dr Strangelove [or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb] seven hundred times in his studio (it was the only video Horton had on hand), the artist began to attempt to produce an animated version of the film, using only found materials. Realizing that the stills had more resonance than a stop motion film might, Horton set about recreating every unique image in the movie, limiting himself to materials already in the studio.  A knife and fork become a B52 bomber in much the same way a pie plate would become a UFO in a low budget sci-fi film. The closing nuclear explosion is rendered with a cloud of popcorn. A snow covered mountain top is made with a plastic shopping bag and coffee grounds. A television remote on its side becomes a bank of computers and post-it notes become floor tiles.

The work was made between the years of 2003 and 2006, and the following year the AGYU presented an exhibition of the photographs (including a 'colourized' version) and this accompanying bookwork. 

For images of the works and installation views, visit the artists' website here. The book is available for $40 from the publishers, here.

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