Elephant: "Sarah Morris Evokes the Perils and Perks of a Globalised World"

Emily Steer, July 6, 2020

Sarah Morris’ films explore the “urban, social and bureaucratic typologies” of metropolises around the world. She moves nimbly between the architectural, political and personal, touching on elements of a city or place that an outsider might first notice, as well as digging into some of its deeper dynamics and social quirks.

 

In 2014, the American artist released Strange Magic, a film commissioned by LVMH to explore the fashion giant’s new Paris building, designed by Frank Gehry. The work moves from the micro to the macro, honing in on the vast urban plan of the city, details of the building, and the romantic, aspirational implications of rows of perfume bottles, juxtaposed against the mechanical method by which they’re filled. Morris also draws parallels between Los Angeles and Paris in this work. A recurrent theme for her is the unexpected connections that exist between distant locations.

 

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