The Process Room  07.09.11 -18.09.11

a massive machine whose very life depends on discipline, motion and speed… a mechanized army on wheels that rolls over any obstacle in its path… that meets calamity again and again, but always comes up smiling… a place where disaster and tragedy stalk the Big Top, haunt the backyards, and ride the circus rails… where Death is constantly watching for one frayed rope, one weak link, or one trace of fear.

When does it become too late? At what point do we realise we have gone too far? In this new installation comprising of new works,Brian Duggan presents questions whichwe know the answer to, but only after the fact; when things go wrong and mistakes are made, only then can we see clearly, or do we?

By loosely sampling a number of sources,including Cecil B DeMilles1952 film The Greatest Show on Earth, the exhibition cuts through the spectacle of the finished act. Instead Dugganswork looks again at the small details and clues that in retrospect lead us to disaster.Its too late now could also be seen as a counter-balance to the new commission that Duggan has undertaken for Dublin Contemporary [this short-term evacuation2011]. Opening out questions in new directions Its too late now addresses the concerns of the contemporary situations we find ourselves in.

An unstable equilibrium has often grounded Duggans work in the real world. However an air of remembered twisted familiarity can be understood as a strategy for finding and asking key questions. Using tangible materials in his wide ranging practice, diverse strategies are employed to find the lines and relationships between fragments of history and current circumstances.

Fairground archives, 60s and 70s cinema, early performancevideoart, slapstick scenarios, original arcade gaming, and installations and audio sculptures are all elements that are employed to build these questions. Duggans practice juxtaposes historical and recent risky adventure with belief and the uncertain expectation that what is unlikely, can be made possible.

Further information on Duggans work can be found at www.brianduggan.net or http://vimeo.com/32316468

For a printable version please download the following document: Brian Duggan: Its too late now (Adobe Acrobat Document, 128KB)

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