Top Half of the Hero was a multimedia installation with public participation, exhibited at the Triskel Arts Centre, Cork 2002 consisting of office furniture, photography, video, neon, wall drawings, paper, drawing materials and stencils.
The work was a critical response to issues which arose in relation to the history of painting. Through site-specific works, connections were made to different sub-plots in art, such as the myth of the artist, the myth of representation and the myth of the gallery as an exhibition space. The hero here is ‘art history’ and the 'top half' refers to top heavy with the implication that it's falling over. The work is best received in a post-modern context where established Western art traditions are explored, exposing and challenging the hidden mechanisms that underpin the processes of making and exhibiting art.
Also see Videos Top Half of the Hero 1 & 2 2002
Triskel Arts Centre presents an installation entitled Top Half of The Hero.
"Sarah Iremonger’s practice is based on a critical response to issues which arise in relation to the history of painting. Through site-specific wall drawings or paintings, installations, videos, photographs and other works, connections are made to sub-plots in art, such as the myth of the artist, the myth of representational painting and the myth of the gallery as an exhibition space.
In Top Half of The Hero, the hero is ‘art history’ and the 'top half' refers to top heavy. The work is best received in a post-colonial context, where established Western art traditions are turned upside down, exposing and challenging the hidden mechanisms which underpin Irish politics and society today.
Sarah’s earlier works were inspired by early Renaissance painters such as Giotto and the way they represented space on a flat plane, in a one-dimensional way. Since then, she has used different materials and explored the possibilities of narrative and association using both representational and abstract issues found in the history of painting and the history of the exhibition space. These themes continue to inform her recent work and can be seen in the Top Half of The Hero."
Extracted from the press release, Triskel Arts Centre 2002
The Top Half of the Hero (part 1) was a video of the front of a canoe shot through the windscreen of a car. The camera has been turned upside down and the video slowed down to give the illusion that the passing trees are reflections, silent. (also see videos)
The Top Half of the Hero (part 1) was a video of the front of a canoe shot through the windscreen of a car. The camera has been turned upside down and the video slowed down to give the illusion that the passing trees are reflections, silent. (also see videos)
The Top Half of the Hero (part 2) was a video of the shadow of a canoe shot through the passenger window of a moving car. The camera has been turned upside down, it is shot in real-time and includes the sounds of the car. (also see videos)