Kinetica Artfair

The Trope Troupe uses found objects, adapted technology, appropriated cultural artifacts and processed digital media. The attitude is montage, collage and bricolage.

Moodski 2004, found objects, embedded PC. This is a ‘midi morph’. ‘In the Mood’ slowly mutates into the ‘1812 Overture’, Glen Miller slowly mutates into Peter Tchaikovsky. As the saxophonists finish their parts, remove their white jackets, and stroll quietly across the very wide auditorium, they take quick drinks from paper cups - don black DJs, pick up their oboes and begin to play, again and again and again. Gramophone by PYE and motherboard by Via Mini-ITX.

Departures 2010, loaned and found objects, embedded PC. Holidays from Hell, or good reason to leave your toxic home and see the rest of the world. Inspired by ‘State_Sponsored_ Homophobia_2010’ (Daniel Ottosson, ILGA.org) this screen-based travel information system helps us to be aware of local laws as we embark on global travel.

Out of Order 2010, tag clouds, print-screens and frame grabs. Disappointing, frozen hi-tech museum exhibits, buttons that do nothing, blank blue screens at railway stations, fat-stretched footballers in pubs, broken news and broken electoral systems - it’s difficult enough to get stuff to work properly, let alone for it to actually mean anything...

The Trope Troupe execute their cultural acrobatics in sound, installation and performance; ‘MallPraxis’ is a work about politics, hard-sell and war; ‘Bush in the Hand’ is a sound performance in seven parts; ‘Moodski’ is playful with software and hardware, yet also mischievous with the form of music and nature of taste; ‘Departures’ offers shocking and twisted reminders to behave ourselves, and ‘Out of Order’ a vivid view of a single day in December, a broken promise and a broken operating system. Words fail...

Image: Moodski,  2004

Photo: Tom Castle