The video work Incidents 1996–97 was filmed on the streets of Chelsea in New York where the artists have a studio. Taken over several years, it documents rubbish blowing about the streets on windy days: discarded materials spiral and trip, spin and gently drift along the streets. This simple, even banal subject matter is transformed through the close observation that the camera allows, becoming an image of both gravity and beauty. The pieces of rubbish seem to participate in the 'dance of life' in which we are all caught, bending and swaying to forces of both commerce and nature. Both Igor and Svetlana Kopystiansky have exhibited to acclaim in major international exhibitions including the Venice Biennale, Documenta and the Liverpool and Sydney Biennales. |