THE subject is hugely relevant in an age defined by religious agendas of whatever persuasion and yet, at the same time, a new series of video works focusing on the complexities of faith in contemporary society might easily incur the wrath of some fundamentalists.
This particular argument holds little sway for artists Nick Crowe and Ian Rawlinson, who for more than 10 years have collaborated and experimented with video art, significantly with public intervention.
Their latest series together, commissioned by FACT, in Liverpool, and due to open there next week, is titled At 25 Metres.
Perhaps the least contentious of the three works looks at the cultural confusion over Irish mythology where an American interpretation of the fabled “Little People” has given the world loony leprechauns.
Crowe and Rawlinson deck themselves out in leprechaun gear and in a video performance exchange a series of well known Hebrew and Arabic greetings of peace and goodwill in cod “Oirish” accents.
Crowe explains that their intention here is to explore the cultural contradictions that are expressed in a humorous and often absurd fashion.
The two are based in Manchester, at the city’s Metropolitan University, Rawlinson as a senior lecturer on the fine art MA course, and Crowe as a research fellow.
Crowe is particularly pleased with the duo’s use of plastic shopping bags that are transformed into metaphorical souls, swooping to heaven in a fireball in the Carrier’s Prayer.
“We set fire to the bags and found that they make extraordinary whooping sounds as they burn,” said Crowe, who explained that they depict a congregation of lost souls rushing up to heaven.
The most intriguing piece – In the Name of God – engages with a mixed group of ten Liverpool people who adhere to the beliefs of Islam, Christianity and Judaism.
They were invited to write the name they use for God in the air by using lit sparklers.
“It is about difference but also about how religions are intertwined,” said Nick Crowe.
“Naturally, the word keeps disappearing and has to be continuously re-written. We like to think that this is a metaphor for religious faith as an active state that needs ongoing affirmation from the believer,” he explained.
AT 25 METRES opens on November 16, and runs until January 13, at The FACT Centre, in Wood Street, Liverpool. Tickets and information tel: 0151 707 4450.
