Mike Stubbs - Cultural Quarter

The work of British artist and filmmaker Mike Stubbs often adopts a documentary style, blending social realism and political awareness with an acute emotional sensibility.

Cultural Quarter presents the relationships of observation in the city to its citizens, whilst begging ethical questions about surveillance, the gaze and human behaviour. It exposes some of the gaps between developers’ dreams and citizens' perceptions of what cultural space means and how to use it.

The film casts a precise and pertinent eye on a daily urban reality in an unspecified British suburb. Presenting a fine balance between reality and its representation, the film's subtly edited movements shift its perspective back and forth between reportage and a form of social voyeurism. The work questions how ideas about “them and us”, social coherence, family and community ethics are constructed.

Awards

Sphinx Award for the best single-channel work, Videomedeja, 9th International Video Festival, Serbia and Montenegro, 2005
No Budget Award, Hamburg International Short Film festival, 2004
Second Prize, International Competition, Videoex 2004 festival, Zurich
Tom Finkelpearl and Barbara London Prizes, Echigo-Tsumari Art Triennial, Japan, 2003

Exhibition

21 Apr – 20 May 06 | Burnt | Lion Arts Centre, Adelaide, AU

Produced by Forma

Related links

Mike Stubbs

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