Wild Talents

1997
Hiller, Susan
'Wild Talents' draws inspiration from the life of Stefan Ossowiecki (1877-1944), a famous psychic known as 'The Polish Wizard'. The work focuses on Ossowiecki's childhood, a time when his then unfocused powers resulted in unpredictable and spontaneous outbursts. More broadly, the installation explores society's fear of the unknown and its obsession with the dangerous energies and spontaneous 'wild talents' of children. In 'Wild Talents', two wall-sized projections, each with a shared soundtrack, juxtapose excerpts from films featuring children with special powers. Between the projections sits a TV monitor showing footage from a documentary concerning children who had visions of the Virgin Mary. The monitor is adorned with a crown of devotional lights - bulbs containing an illuminated filament in the shape of different religious symbols. What emerges is a designated space meditating on the nature of faith and the ideology of belief. Robin Footitt
  • Artwork Details: running time: 1 hr
  • Edition: no.1/3
  • Material description: video installation
  • Credit line: © the artist
  • Theme:
  • Medium: Film and Audio Visual
  • Accession number: ACC10/1998

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The Arts Council Collection is the UK's most widely seen collection of modern and contemporary art.

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