15 Jun 2012

RÖDA STEN KONSTHALL presents PHIL COLLINS: The Most Sociable Loner I've Ever Known

Röda Sten konsthall presents

PHIL COLLINS – The Most Sociable Loner I've Ever Known
June 16 – August 19, at Röda Sten konsthall
Curated by Edi Muka


For his solo exhibition at Röda Sten konsthall, his first in the city of Gothenburg, the British artist Phil Collins presents new work, specially produced for the show, in collaboration with London art-rock band OSKAR and Welsh singer-songwriter Cate le Bon. In We Can't Hear You When You Talk at the Same Time, collaborates with old friends and members of the public the Gothenburg area, inviting them to share their private conversations via a free telephone line. Calls are recorded to form the basis of an album scored by Swedish and international musicians. Structured as an audio-visual installation, We Can't Hear You When You Talk at the Same Time features a 35 mm projection, examining our paradoxical love affair with the telephone, and a cycle of songs with voices of Gothenburg and beyond. The work offers an intimate experience of pop culture, and reflects on its capacity to embody and consolidate social relationships and values central to the society that creates and assimilates it.

Röda Sten is also exhibiting the premiere of another piece by Collins, a video installation based on his recent performance, This Unfortunate Thing Between Us. Originally presented in 2011 at the Hebbel am Ufer in Berlin and on a ZDF channel, This Unfortunate Thing Between Us consists of two television broadcasts, staged live in the theatre, in which instead of commodities the viewers are offered a choice of fantasies at promotional prices. Hosted by a crew of actors and porn workers, and with live music by Gruff Rhys and Y Niwl, This Unfortunate Thing Between Us follows the logic and grammar of the teleshopping channel, including pitches, sales and phone-ins. Providing an opportunity to face up to our contemporary desires and fears, This Unfortunate Thing Between Us brings together a live audience and home viewers in what may well prove to be a glimpse into the future of consumerism.

Phil Collins' films, photographs, installations, and live events often use elements of low-budget television and entertainment industry to dissect the political and aesthetic implications of popular visual formats. His collaborators have ranged from those whose lives have been ruined by reality TV to anti-fascist skinheads in Malaysia; from fans of The Smiths over three continents to disco-dancing Palestinians.


We Can't Hear You When You Talk at the Same Time is a new commission, co-produced by Röda Sten konsthall and MAP, Mobile Art Production, in collaboration with the music festival Way Out West in Gothenburg. It is part of Phil Collins' solo exhibition The Most Sociable Loner I've Ever Known, one of Röda Sten konsthall's unique productions curated by Edi Muka. The newly produced work also forms part 2 of exhibition series Street Level by MAP, and additionally, it will be presented as a sound installation at the Way Out West festival.
We Can't Hear You When You Talk at the Same Time is curated by Edi Muka, curator at Röda Sten konsthall, and Anna van der Vliet, curator at MAP, Mobile Art Production.