John a Douglas

Everything I make is filtered through the lens of cinema. I see locations as quotes from scenes in films that are iconic and from a past era – in the age of the auteur. I use cinematic tropes of social imagery and the vernacular of popular and not-so-popular culture. Many of my works pay homage to the small details, actions and materials found in the vast landscape of cinematic history.

The Bylong Valley has many sedimentary sandstone landforms. One in particular evokes a popular sci-fi Hollywood location: The Devil’s Tower in Wyoming. In the midst of a giant shed of old furniture there lies a recreation of a scene from that film. This durational performance installation is a re-enactment of the character and a scene from the film (played by Richard Dreyfuss) where he obsessively attempts to build a model of the imaginary mountain in his living room. You are invited to join in and participate in his obsession if you dare. _This work is supported by the Australian Artists’ Grant. The Australian Artists’ Grant is a NAVA initiative, made possible through the generous sponsorship of Mrs Janet Holmes a Court and the support of the Visual Arts Board, Australia Council for the Arts.