Akeroyd Collection
Works
Jeremy Deller, English Magic, 2013
![an image of an owl with its wings spread out wide in anticipation of flight](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Ff65456af2f033b112e8f585076f0319b7bf63703-2400x1350.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![a blue car being lifted by a crane. The forks of the crane have shattered the car's side windows. The ground has snow on it and we can see a red brick wall in the background](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Fcf3e9da3c588a47c7fa2a8bf97bc67eeef4ff920-2400x1351.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![an image of children jumping on a bouncy castle](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F080a07264f6bc40e8098abd8dc342d74c9187b33-2400x1351.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![an image of a person of mixed heritage with bleached blonde hair wearing large black headphone](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Ff4466183c6732124931282d8c9c4d290ab3c67e2-2400x1351.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![an image of mannequins being wheeled on stretchers by police people in a road. The pavement is lined with people](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F033410f005a6825a94bf5c8cb408de1d44be21a9-2400x1351.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![an image of three people playing steel drums in a concert hall](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2Fcf1041690655323691362f473d486679f5b94c2b-2400x1351.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
![an installation image of 'English Magic' being screened on a flat screen at the Venice Biennale](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn.sanity.io%2Fimages%2Frp6jt0va%2Fproduction%2F902a29fd77d1142ca094c83f90c038f3ad015b5b-2400x1600.jpg%3Ffit%3Dmax%26auto%3Dformat&w=3840&q=75)
English Magic is a short film of roughly twelve minutes that distils many of the central ideas of a larger exhibition of the same title, created for the British Pavilion at the 55th International Art Exhibition – la Biennale di Venezia. Focusing on British society - its people, icons, myths, folklore and its cultural and political history, this film component weaves together these visual materials around two key pieces of music. The first is A Guy Called Gerald’s legendary acid house track, Voodoo Ray from 1988 and David Bowie’s 1970 hit, The Man Who Sold The World. Both tracks are performed by The Melodians Steel Orchestra from South London and we see in the film footage of these tracks being recorded in Studio 2 of Abbey Road Studios in London.
The film brings together many of the ideas behind the works in the Pavilion and features visual and thematic elements that reflect Deller's interest in the diverse nature of British society and its broad cultural, socio-political, and economic history. Bookended by slow motion footage of a bird of prey landing during a falconry exercise, the music accompanies footage of range rovers being crushed and communities playing on an inflatable Stonehenge, Canary Wharf, London’s most recent financial district visible in the background. The choreography and skill with which the destruction and play occur are set in perfect harmony with the steel drum acid house cover. Meanwhile, The Man Who Sold the World keeps a march on footage of a procession of pageantry from British industry, academia, finance, and the military. Intercut with footage of the band playing, setting up and packing away, the juxtapositions relay a poetic sense of community, ritual and counter-cultural histories alongside key signifiers of industrial, social and political uncertainties.
Medium | HD Digital video |
Duration | 14 minutes 23 seconds |
Edition | of 6 + 1 AP |