The Gates (2011)

The Gates pairs media footage of the bridal and funeral processions of Princess Diana as both carriages emerge from the gated walls of Clarence House and Kensington Palace, passing before an endless stream of people who have lined the streets to stare in awe and cry. Inspired by Francesco Pesellino’s Renaissance wedding chest panels “The Triumphs of Love, Chastity and Death”, and “The Triumphs of Fame, Time and Eternity”, The Gates is a comment on the codependency that exists between the camera, celebrity, and the public. It is also a study on time, mortality and the recorded image.

Full Description

The Gates pairs the bridal and funeral processions of Princess Diana as both carriages emerge from the gated walls of Clarence House and Kensington Palace, passing before an endless stream of people who have lined the streets to stare in awe and cry. The images have been paired and synced to appear as if life and death unfold in one continuous shot panning from left to right.

The work was inspired by two renaissance wedding chest panels by Francesco Pesellino.“The Triumphs of Love, Chastity and Death”, and “The Triumphs of Fame, Time and Eternity”, both of which reference The Triumphs, by Francis Petrarch a 14th century Italian poet. Renaissance wedding chests (or cassoni) were typically filled with the bride’s dowry or other household items, and then moved in a public procession from the bride’s home to that of the man on her wedding day. Pesellino’s panels depict five parade carriages (including those for wedding and funeral) that move through time culminating with Eternity. In Pessellino’s panels the imagery is laid out from left to right, as if we should read the events sequentially. Yet the action happens simultaneously, collapsing the past, present, and future into one moment.

The Gates is a comment on the codependency that exists between the camera, celebrity, and the public. It is also a study on time, mortality and the recorded image.

Work metadata

  • Year Created: 2011
  • Submitted to ArtBase: Sunday Oct 30th, 2011
  • Original Url: http://vimeo.com/30250553
  • Work Credits:
    • maurajasper, primary creator
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Artist Statement

Maura Jasper is a visual artist whose works encompass drawing, experimental video, performance and participatory projects. Primarily interested in portraiture and the passage of time, her work investigates how pop cultures and histories shape and inform identity.

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