Beatrice Gibson: Crippled Symmetries

• Neil Cooper
• 18 August 2015

This article is from 2015.

Inspired by 1975 novel JR, Gibson’s films centre around 11-year-old protagonists

The noise of money is everywhere in the two films by Beatrice Gibson that make up the London-based artist's Crippled Symmetries show at this year's Edinburgh Art Festival.

‘F for Fibonacci’ juxtaposes archive footage of a mercurial Karlheinz Stockhausen and images of Wall Street city boys at play with an 11-year-old boy's computer-generated images of a world owned by a fictional superhero, Mr Money. The newly commissioned ‘Solo for Rich Man’ finds another 11-year-old ruffling wads of dosh and dropping coins with composer Anton Lukoszeveize in a Shoreditch adventure playground.

Both films are inspired by William Gaddis' 1975 novel, JR, in which an 11-year-old boy creates the biggest financial empire on the planet with the unwitting help of his school's resident composer. Gibson's films pits notions of progressive education, abstract composition and work by Fluxus artist George Maciuna with the real racket going on in the City.

In physical terms, such counterpoints suggest how throwing a sonic spanner in the works can disrupt a mainstream economy. As far as monopolies go, however, kids rool the skool every time.

Collective Gallery, 556 1264, until 4 Oct, free.