Lars Laumann, Morrissey Foretelling the Death of Diana, 2006 på Open Eye Gallery, Wood Street
Jeg kendte til Lars Laumann's arbejde fra hans bidrag til Berlin Biennalen 2008 "Frau Berlin Mauer". I den følger man Eija Ritta, som bor i en lille by i Nordsverige. Hun er gift, men ikke med en mand. Hun tilhører nemlig en minoritet, hvis sexuelle orientering retter sig imod objekter; "Objektum Sexuality". Eija Ritta er forelsket i og gift med Berlinmuren. Og det er ikke noget Lars Laumann selv har fundet på. Han har derimod fundet det på internettet. Prøv selv at google.
Morrisey Fortelling the Death of Diana bygger også på en funden website, nemlig Dianamystery.com. Her udfolder en fantastisk konspirationsteori sig, hvis forudsætning er, at Morrissey på en eller anden måde forudså prinsesse Dianas død og indlejrede kryptiske gåder og hentydninger til det i sine tekster og på sine pladecovers. Billedsiden består af fundne filmklip og fotografier, men det er lydsiden, der er det vigtigste. Med monoton stemme opremses sammenfald mellem Morrisseys tekster og begivenheder op til Dianas død. Jeg optog et udsnit og transkriberede det:
".......Morrissey’s finale verse from The Queen is Dead refers to two people, someone who opened a crate of ale, Anthony, and someone who is an egyptian, Cleopatra. The dead of princess Diana was a comply of the death of two other people, someone who is drunk, Chauffeur Henry Paul, someone who is egyptian, Dodi Fayed. Anthony and Cleopatra died in august. Diana died in august. Finale name mentioned on the album is Cleopatra, but Morrrisey does not refer to Shakesphere or the Elisabeth Taylor film but to the comedy Carry on Cleo. In the film Carry on Cleo, actress Amantha Barrie plays Cleopatra, Amanda Barry as queen Cleopatra is the last person on the Queen is Dead. At the time of Dianas dead, Amanda Barrie was starring as the carakter Alma in the long running british soap opera, Coronation street. Dianas death ocurred on the underpath, Plats der Armo. A street sign of Manchester Coronation Street is seen on the photo in the album cover. The last record released by Morissey before Dianas death was Alma Matters. Today there has been over a hundred of Morreseys records released worldwide. There has never been one with a car on the cover till Alma Matters. On the front cover of Alma Matters Morresey is leaning on the hood of a Chervolat. One month after the release of Alma Martters Diana suffered her fatal injuries in a car in the Alma Underpath. So how is it possible for Diana’s death to be foretold in a work of Morresey? Is it purely by Morresey´s own ability, or did someone or something else influent his work? Morresey himself does not claim that he has the ability see the future. Princess Diana was killed in the summer of 1997. The film Contact is released in the summer of 1997. The film is based on the novel of the same name by astronomer, astrofysisist Carl Seagan. The tagline of the film advertised: A Message from Deep Space. A coded message is sent by extraterrestials from the Vega star system. The hero of the film is told that the message can only be decifred if you think like a vegan. In earthy terms vegan are people who avoid useing animals or animal products or food, chlothing or other purposes and refuse to take part in animal exploitation of any kind. Contact is released in the summer of Diana’s death. In the abscense of any earthy explanation for how Dianas death was foretold in the work of Morresey let’s explore the possibilitiy that extraterrestials are responsible for the Diana-Morresey phenomena. The Smiths first album was released one year before the novel contact. For the cover of the album Morresey chose a image of actor Joe Dallesandro who was born in Pensacola, Florida december 31. The image for the cover of the Smiths debut album was taken from the movie Flesh directed by Paul Morresey...... "
Værket har en behagelig, hypnotisk kvalitet, der gør, at man ligesom falder til ro i det. Efterhånden som man sidder og lytter til det, bliver man næsten overbevist om sagen. Der er vist usædvanligt mange sammenfald mellem teksterne og detaljerne omkring ulykken.
Lars Laumanns værker har en form for -yderst moderne - kunst-antropologisk tilgang til sit undersøgelsesfelt. Ikke ulig Søren Martinsen's i Children of the New Age, som jeg tidligere omtalte på bloggen, hvor kunstneren undersøger populærkulturens grænseområder. Det betænkelige ved metoden er selvfølgelig, at de deltagende mennesker kommer til at være eksotiske objekter for kunstnerens neutrale, antropoligske blik. Jo mere far-out de er, jo mere interessant er værket. Også for mig selv. Jeg taber næse og mund, men det føles altså lidt som at glo på nogen eller noget.
Selvom man i begge tilfælde, Lars Laumann's og Søren Martinsen's, som publikum oplever en oprigtig, næsten kærlig interesse fra kunstnerens side. Som om de gerne selv ville være med i de dér fællesskaber. Måske agerer kunstnerne i den her type værker selv som manisk internetfreaks? Som antropologer "gone native"?
Jeg fik ikke rigtigt set de andre værker på udstillingen, Hellen Keller, and the great purging bonfire og books and unpublished manuscripts illuminating the dark, og Duett. Ikke fordi de var dårlige, men fordi jeg ikke kunne kapere mere.