Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
OPERA (QM. 15), 2016
Artist
Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster
Title
OPERA (QM. 15)
Year of creation
2016
Technology and duration
HD video, projector, screens, media player, amplifier, speakers, lighting, curtains / 8:30 min playing time
Year of acquisition
2017
Opera (QM.15) transforms a recording of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's live appearance as Maria Callas into a holographic illusion, creating a ghostly operatic presence. Opera (QM.15) combines several temporal levels: the looped holographic projection of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's live appearance of the famous diva is itself a construct of the voice of the younger Maria Callas - you can hear recordings of arias from Cherubini's Medea and Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda. The apparition is dressed in the iconic red dress from Callas' last appearances. The work is influenced by the development of photography, early film and the interest in the uncanny that characterized many artists and authors of the 19th century. It is with a larger body of workOpera (QM.15) transforms a recording of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's live appearance as Maria Callas into a holographic illusion, creating a ghostly operatic presence. Opera (QM.15) combines several temporal levels: the looped holographic projection of Dominique Gonzalez-Foerster's live appearance of the famous diva is itself a construct of the voice of the younger Maria Callas - you can hear recordings of arias from Cherubini's Medea and Giuseppe Verdi's La Traviata and Amilcare Ponchielli's La Gioconda. The apparition is dressed in the iconic red dress from Callas' last appearances. The work is influenced by the development of photography, early film and the interest in the uncanny that characterized many artists and authors of the 19th century. It is related to a larger body of work that Gonzalez-Foerster began in 2012: an ever-expanding “fragmented opera” consisting of live performances and recordings in which she appears as various fictional or historical figures. The artist's dramatic life-size presence also updates an old illusion technique from the late 19th century, which Gonzalez-Foerster began in 2012: an ever-growing "fragmented opera" consisting of live performances and recordings in which she appears as different fictional characters or historical figures appear. The artist's dramatic life-size presence also updates an old illusion technique from the late 19th century.
Maria Callas (1923–1977)
Maria Callas was born in New York in 1923 as the daughter of Greek immigrants. Perhaps the most famous opera singer of the 20th century, she is best known for the virtuosity of her somewhat unconventional voice and for her dramatic musical interpretations. During her career she sang over 40 different roles and recorded more than 20 complete operas.
Text: Courtesy Esther Schipper, Berlin
