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Copyright: © Spartacus Chetwynd | CC-BY-NC-ND 4.0 DEED, Photo: Tate
Curator: Spartacus Chetwynd's "Hermitos Children, the pilot episode" presents a rather intriguing assembly of screens and soft forms. The artist, born in 1973, uses variable dimensions to arrange these elements. What is your initial response? Editor: It gives off a definite communal viewing vibe, almost like a makeshift cinema for a slumber party. I'm immediately drawn to the contrast between the hard technology and the soft, inviting cushions. Curator: Yes, the juxtaposition is key. The screens, arranged in a grid-like structure, present a sequence of images, while the cushions offer a space for repose, inviting contemplation of the visuals. Editor: I wonder about the social commentary here. Is Chetwynd critiquing our screen-saturated culture, or perhaps offering a vision of collective engagement with media? The informality suggests a space outside of traditional power structures. Curator: It's tempting to apply social readings, but focusing on formal qualities, the repetitive imagery creates a rhythmic visual experience, mediated by the physical arrangement. Editor: I see that, but for me, it's impossible to ignore how the work invites questions about accessibility, spectatorship, and the democratization of art viewing. Curator: I concede that "Hermitos Children" provides a compelling intersection of form and social practice. Editor: Agreed. It is thought-provoking.
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http://www.tate.org.uk/art/artworks/chetwynd-hermitos-children-the-pilot-episode-t13044
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Hermitos Children, the pilot episode 2008 is a twenty-minute film by the British artist Marvin Gaye Chetwynd. The film takes the form of a pilot episode of a television drama, following the protagonist Joan Shipman as she attempts to solve various sex-crimes and murders. However, unlike a conventional show the narrative of the film is vague and abstract. It opens with a preposterous scene, featuring a flamboyantly dressed man wearing a curly black wig. The absurdity of his costume is enhanced by a theatrical voiceover, describing in the first person how his wife has run away. The scene then cuts randomly to close-ups of a nude female in the park. Most scenes are a few minutes long and are accompanied by lively soundtracks played by independent music bands. Many parts of the film contain female nudity, in particular the last ten minutes. Accompanied by heavy metal music, this scene features a group of naked women lying curled up next to each other, while they occasionally lip-synch and shout into the camera. The story is interrupted by images of Chetwynd’s collages, which she made with the photographer Ben Toms during the production of Hermitos Children, the pilot episode, for the November 2008 issue of the magazine Dazed and Confused. The collages consist of black and white pictures of the actors, collaged onto colourful psychedelic backgrounds. The backgrounds of the collages are similar to Chetwynd’s series of paintings entitled Bat Opera (2004/5). Scenes from other events hosted by the artist – Helmut Newton Ladies’ Night and Yoyo’s – also appear in the work. The artist has commented that:
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