I don’t know if it’s the warped soundtrack, the computer-generated vocals or the mesmerizingly basic Adobe Flash animation but whichever way, I saw “Is That All There Is?” at the Tate Modern (London) and now it’s all I can think about.
I swear to goodness I wish it would just leave me alone. After all, it’s hardly something you can sing along to, not when the earworm in question sounds like a deflated emergency siren.
And, a much as I value the importance of art, I wish this wasn’t the one thing to have stuck with me since my visit to the Tate Modern in November 2022 (that’s right, it’s still haunting me!)
…I’m off to get myself a strong cup of tea.
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(For what it’s worth) Display caption lifted from the Tate Modern website:
IS THAT ALL THERE IS? considers the environmental impact of global warming. YHCHI often use dark humour to highlight difficult issues. The text and melody of the work are based on the song Is That All There Is?, made popular by singer Peggy Lee in 1969. The fire in the song’s lyrics here becomes a reference to wildfires in California. The question ‘Is That All There Is?’ is repeated again and again, highlighting the lack of personal and political accountability in relation to climate change.
Gallery label, April 2022
Artist credit: Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries
Title: “Is That All There Is?”
Featured post image (also used below): “What The Hell’s Going On” by Young-Hae Chang Heavy Industries (https://www.artpapers.org/young-hae-chang-heavy-industries/)
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My Housemate's a Mermaid 