Last Days... by: Michael Takeo Magruder - 12.2008

On the 27th of December 2008 the Israeli-Palestinian conflict resumed with brutal intensity.   Last Days... is constructed from one hundred images collected from online news services during the final five days of 2008. The photographs have been removed from their journalistic context and stripped of all but their basic captions. The images and texts are then recombined, together with a persistent sound track, into an unending re-mediation of events that provides an alternative, contemplative space.   This work is dedicated to the memory of the 390 Palestinians and 4 Israelis who as a result of this renewed violence did not live to see the New Year.   Source Material:   [image/text] 100 images and their metadata captions referencing the Israeli–Palestinian conflict in Gaza between the 27th and 31st of December, 2008. This material was obtained from the Internet news articles published by The Guardian, The Times and BBC.   [audio] Manipulated sample from The Dead Flag Blues by Godspeed You Black Emperor!.   Requirements:   Internet browser with Flash 9+ plugin and stereo audio. 512+ kb/s connection recommended.   [ please note: this work requires an initial download of 2.5MB and the computer screen will remain empty until this is completed ]   Without Whom:   Babette Wagenvoort (curation) . Hugh Denard ( discourse )   Commissioned by:

Oog online, De Volkskrant [ ENTER ARTWORK ]