The Sea Around Us - Online Catalogue

Shaun Gladwell (b.1972)
Storm Sequence, 2000
single channel digital video, colour, sound, 8 mins
Shaun Gladwell is an Australian contemporary artist
who works predominantly in video and performance.
His works are shot within natural and urban
environments, and explore the relationship between
landscapes and people while simultaneously drawing
deeply from art and literary history.
Storm Sequence is a deceptively simple work. It depicts
the solitary action of a skateboarder – the artist, Shaun
Gladwell – freestyling on the edge of a concrete drop
in front of the ocean at Bondi Beach in Sydney. The
camera hardly moves and concentrates only on his
movements, as he pirouettes and spins. Incorporating
an organic, liquid-like soundtrack by Sydney composer
Kazumichi Grime, the footage is presented at a reduced
framerate to give the illusion of slow motion. Movement
which in real time would have a jerky rhythm becomes
graceful, emphasising the relationship between the
individual, the ocean and the oncoming storm.
Courtesy the artist and Anna Schwartz Gallery.
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