27 december 2022, Flor Linckens
I'M SORRY DAVE: an ode to a futuristic classic
On 2 January, The Ravestijn Gallery in Amsterdam will reopen the exhibition 'I'M SORRY DAVE', a reference to the famous science fiction film by Stanley Kubrick. The exhibition features work by seven photographers whose work is all in some way connected to the film: Bownik, Philippe Braquenier, Vincent Fournier, Koen Hauser, Martina Sauter and Inez & Vinoodh.
The movie 2001: A Space Odyssey is considered to be one of the best science fiction movies ever made. The film was released in October 1968, less than a year before two American astronauts first set foot on the moon. Where most science fiction films feel dated after a few years — usually because of the special effects — director Stanley Kubrick managed to capture a certain timelessness in his film. This is partly due to his use of music, relevant themes and especially the clean and sterile production design, which still looks futuristic 54 years after the release of the film. You could even say that the film has inspired the future to some extent. For example, a tablet-like device is shown in the film, long before the invention of iPads and smartphones. A.I. also plays a significant role in the form of HAL 9000, a “more sentient Alexa” that introduced us to the potential dangers of Artificial Intelligence. An extremely relevant discussion at the moment with the emergence of, for instance, ChatGPT. It allows students to fake their essays, but until very recently, less well-intentioned individuals were also able to ask instructions on how to make a bomb or ask which banks in the area have known weaknesses in their security.
In some of the works on display at The Ravestijn Gallery, references to 2001 are quite explicit, such as in the work of the French artist and photographer Vincent Fournier. His work reflects the aesthetic layer of our romanticized nostalgia for 20th century science fiction and space travel. For his photos he traveled to various futuristic places around the world, including the NASA Space Centers in Houston and Cape Canaveral. In the exhibition you can see, for example, how he captured an anechoic chamber in Toulouse, which cancels out all reflections of sound and electromagnetic waves.
In other photos, the references are more subtle, like in the photo by Inez & Vinoodh in which you see the iconic Djinn chair by Olivier Mourgue from 1965, that also played a role in the film. The German artist Martina Sauter investigates the role of Artificial Intelligence in her work, and in particular its practical consequences for our daily lives. Philippe Braquenier captures contemporary data centers, whose clinical and sterile look undeniably refers to the aesthetics of 2001: A Space Odyssey. At the same time, you can also wonder whether these unimaginable amounts of information, in combination with A.I., will cause a series of new problems in the future.
