Gold Film is at once a sculpture, an installation, a film and a performance. For this piece, Deneb Martos worked directly on celluloid using fine sheets of gold. She built a monumental structure that allows us to see the effects of the material as it passes through the 35mm projector, while we can also contemplate the gleaming strip of gold film both physically up close and magnified on the screen through a second, digital projection.
The result is a spectacular mise-en-scène in which the experimental musician Wade Matthews improvises live and enters into dialogue with the work. Martos’ body and actions also come into play, changing the relationship between the artwork, the space in which it is projected — in this case, the majestic church of Kunsthal Gent — and the audience, that is encouraged to move around and experience the work from multiple perspectives.
During the weekend of 25 – 26 October, Gold Film will already be on view as a sculptural installation, and Deneb Martos will lead a two-day workshop on 35mm chemigrams. On Monday 27 October, Gold Film will be activated and performed live.
Because of the scale, construction and transport of Gold Film, opportunities to experience a live presentation are exceptionally rare. The work has previously been performed in Berlin (Akademie der Künste), Madrid (Filmadrid) and A Coruña (S8 Mostra de Cinema Periférico).