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Gillian Wearing

if it could be dating situation. It was really an interesting process and also the first time I had utilized 3 screens to present my work. My other 3 screen work was Drunk which filmed a group of street alcoholics that I be friended near to where I lived in South London in the 1990’s. I had seen most the people daily when going to the shops, and eventually plucked up the courage to introduce myself. I had a notion that I had wanted to do something about the effects of alcohol, particularly as it takes away inhibition and gives us a sense of the physical body rather than the mind. It gets a person closer to primal emotions. The great thing about working these people was their openness about their addictions and that they did their drinking mainly publicly, they were very interested in being part of the film from the start. I did however feel it was my duty first to get to know everyone to visit their homes meet relatives and hang out, so I worked for two years on this film, going to see everyone weekly. It was a close knit community that at times, through drink would become volatile but also incredibly loving and affectionate. I really wanted to capture that reality and I had been looking at Brueghel drawings. I wanted something that felt both classical but also real. I hung a plain backdrop in my studio and filmed everyone over a period of time. It was filmed in an observational manner but also with elements where I gave a few very simple instructions, like asking someone just to stand or walk. Any other action that occurred did so spontaneously. When I look at the work I see painting, drawing and documentary. I also at times see great beauty whether that is in the small details of someone sleeping or the tactile embrace between two men. Me: You are showing a new film titled Fear and Loathing which is the 4th in your series of confession works. This film is the first one shot outside of London and was filmed in Los Angeles. Me: I had had the idea of Fear and Loathing for 8 years, this film will be shown alongside Secrets and Lies, 2009. The titles of the work were both taken from existing feature films, Mike Leigh’s “Secrets and Lies” (set in London) and Terry Gilliam’s “Fear and Loathing” (set in Las Vegas) based on the novel by Hunter S. Thompson. I thought the titles seemed so perfect for the countries they were based in. British people being known for being less open about themselves and keeping secrets and USA for being a country with a high level of social panic. This was a very loose way to divide the two films, I knew that the people that would come forward from the adverts would not fit into those stereotypes because people rarely do (thank goodness) and I have discovered that in all the work I have made, people are far richer and complex, kind and intelligent than any fictional character or national stereotype. In Fear and Loathing I filmed in motels and in a trailer, it was the first time I had filmed one of my confession videos in different locations. I wanted to get the feel of the city of LA as a cinematic city. Me: You also have moved outside into various locations for your film We Are Here 2014. Me: You could say it was a long gestation for We Are Here. The film is located where I was brought up in the West Midlands. I had always wanted to film in this location as I have many memories of the landscape. If you drive past the area you 16


Gillian Wearing
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