Marco Brambilla Decontextualizes Hollywood Icons at PAMM

"The idea of Heaven's Gate entering the world at this particular juncture in time seems somehow completely right. Our world, more than ever, is an undifferentiated chaos of dreams, nightmares and illusions, of shiny surfaces, optimism, pestilence and war. Life imitating art...as ever," said Brambilla.

Through an infinite loop of prominent scenes, the video retells the history of our world, from the Big Bang to the examination of human consumption and overabundance today. The piece celebrates collective storytelling while satirizing the saturated glamour of the filmmaking by decontextualizing each character and set pieces.

The title “refers to the 1980 Michael Cimino film whose extreme production costs bankrupted United Artists and brought to an end the era of director as auteur. This paved the way for studio domination, which has continued since.

“He has consistently probed the world of cinema through video art with versatility, careful to mark the distinctions of both. While his work has always pushed the boundaries of new technology to visually engage with the screen, his recent work in virtual reality will literally create ‘new ways of seeing,’” said PAMM Director Franklin Sirmans.