burning… (for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night) 

Running time: 1 min 48 sec

This video documentation is a 3D software recreation of burning… as it was shown at Bartleme Galleries, Brisbane in 1994.

The red video noise was created by recording a red computer screen onto a 3hr VHS tape, then copying the tape repeatedly until the red image had decayed to the point seen in the video. The sound was recorded from a black-and-white TV turned off-channel.

The walls and ceiling of the small gallery where burning… was installed were left white and, as the only light came from the monitors, the room was bathed in a warm red glow. And while the noise from the TV monitors was quite loud, and created an almost physical resistance to entering the room, once inside it became rather womb-like and the sound would envelop viewers in a cocoon that would insulate them from outside noise.

On opening night, with a large noisy crowd attending a group show in the adjacent, much larger gallery space, I found a few people had escaped the noise of the main gallery and were just sitting quietly, using the video installation like a mediation tank. Later, another friend came up to me and thanked me, saying the installation had cured the headache she had had all afternoon.

3-channel VHS video, 3-hour loops, plinths, VHS combo units, white room.

John Waller 1994.