On the first of June 2012 (the speaker’s birthday) Sean Parfitt embarked on a new body of work* which is intended to be the last body of work he will undertake as an artist. The root subject, object, catalyst or inspiration for any work produced from that point has been a documentary made in 1974, the year of Parfitt’s birth. ‘That’s Entertainment!’ is a compilation film released by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Saturated with sentiment and nostalgia and viewed through rose tinted spectacles and other clichés, the film turns a spotlight on the companies legacy of musical film from the 1920’s to the 50’s. Each segment is introduced by aged stars of the era filmed in the legendary yet almost derelict MGM backlot, weeks before property developers moved in.
The above titled talk will take a closer look at the film, explain the rationale of its selection for the project and focus on works produced over the last twelve months. It will also be an exploration of when one becomes nostalgic for a type of nostalgia and when a simulation acquires a history independent of what it simulates.
Throughout the talk, but not during the Q&A, Parfitt will be attached to a lie detector.
* Any new work has been added to an existing body of work, which was not originally intended to be a body of work at all, but now forms the foundations on which the above described was built.
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Sean Parfitt has exhibited extensively throughout the UK and overseas, both as an individual practitioner and in collaboration with others, but not for a while.
* Image: Original poster for ‘That’s Entertainment’ (1975) courtesy www.wonderfulworldofmovies.com
