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Levitating in the studio, 2006, video 2 mins

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Levitating in the studio [2006] is a video riposte to Bruce Nauman’s double-exposure photograph ‘Failing to Levitate in the Studio’ [1966], in which Nauman appears to succeed and fail simultaneously in an attempt to balance between two chairs. Allen’s successful levitation makes undisguised use of theatrical technology - ‘secular magic’ rather than any atavistic powers hinted at in Nauman’s image - whilst a ladder and wine bottle nearby point to more conventional art historical iconographies associated with escape and transcendence.




Smoke and Mirrors, mac and Vivid, Birmingham, 2006 >