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Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2007 10:22:02 GMT
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Masquerade at Flat Time House_London

In their practice, Belgian artist duo Vermeir & Heiremans define their own house as an artwork, using it as a framing device to focus on the growing financialisation of the arts, urban space and daily life. The artists employ financial tools, historical references and cinematic language to reflect on art's role in the production (and possible distribution) of value in today’s artistic and non-artistic realms. On the occasion of Vermeir & Heiremans' solo exhibition A Modest Proposal (in a Black Box) at Pump House Gallery in Battersea (on view until 16 December 2018), Flat Time House (FTHo) is hosting a screening of their film Masquerade, which describes the development of the experimental financial index Art House Index. For this event the 'live' version of the work will be shown whereby the financial market influences the real-time 'cutting' of the film. The screening is followed by the artists in-discussion with FTHo curator Gareth Bell-Jones about their practice, and in particular the 'house as artwork’. Flat Time House was the studio home of artist John Latham (1921-2006). Latham declared his house a living sculpture and named it Flat Time House after his theory of time - 'Flat Time'. In their practice artist duo Vermeir & Heiremans define their own house as an art work, which they use as a framing device to focus on the growing financialisation of the arts, the urban space and daily life. The artists employ financial tools, historical references and cinematic language to reflect on art's role in the production (and possible distribution) of value in today’s artistic and non-artistic realms. The artists will present their film Masquerade, a 'factual-fiction reportage', in which a TV-reporter tells the story of the development of Art House Index (AHI–). AHI– is an experimental financial index that measures the economic and symbolic value of their 'house as art work', including the cultural capital and other symbolic values that Vermeir & Heiremans, as 'public persona', accrue. The 'live' version of their film will be screened, in which the financial market influences the real-time 'cutting' of the film. The actual performance of AHI–, showing the index going up or down, according to real time data that derive from real estate and art markets and from the attention economy, triggers a switch between two timelines, one of which shows the fully post-produced 'finished' film while the other captures variations, rehearsals and outtakes. The artists have no control over the 'editing' of Masquerade, the markets creating a 'unique' moment in time as it is statistically highly improbable the audience will ever get to see the same combinations twice. After the presentation Gareth Bell-Jones will talk with the artists about their practice, and in particular about the 'house as an art work', which also plays a significant role in their exhibition at Pump House Gallery. As they 'financialised' their own home through Art House Index, the artists decided to consider the financialisation of the gallery's real estate as their new case study. Practical 14 December at 6.30 PM, at Flat Time House, 210 Bellenden Rd, London SE15 4BW, UK This presentation is a collaboration of Flat Time House, Pump House Gallery and Jubilee.