ENDLESS

Willie Doherty

ENDLESS

Research output: Non-textual form › Installation

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Abstract

ENDLESS, is a film produced as part of Willie Doherty’s ongoing research into the relation between trauma and memory in post-conflict Northern Ireland. This enquiry reflects on the insidious nature of mistrust and deception in a divided community and references the recruitment of paid British agents and informers during the conflict. Doherty’s film locates these concerns against the contemporary backdrop of post-truth politics, where protocols of truth and accountability have been undermined by the normalisation of ‘alternative facts’ and the corruption of democracy, as politicians lie with impunity and without consequence. In drawing out these connections the research creates significant new perspectives and enhances understanding of the extent to which trauma, caused by unsolved, historical crimes, endures and of how discourse about the memorialisation and recounting of events from the past remains politically sensitive and contested.

The distinctive contribution of Doherty’s research to artists’ use of the moving image is to situate the research in relation to conventional forms of narrative and characterisation, while allowing multiple, non-linear readings and ambiguities that mirror seemingly intractable political issues. Doherty’s rigorous production and use of monochrome, shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, and the confessional nature of the script, delivered both as voiceover and spoken directly to camera by the actor, Christopher Eccleston references documentary tropes. Doherty undercuts this reading and upends narrative expectations, as it is revealed that the protagonist speaks as a spectre, from beyond the grave, unreliable, filled with shame and self-loathing.

ENDLESS builds upon and expands an existing body of work by embracing historical and contemporary contexts in a way that demonstrates a coherent, methodological approach. The research advances the way in which short-form artists’ film can successfully develop new forms of expression that integrate formal concerns and socio-political content in a resolved and rigorous manner.

Original language	English
Place of Publication	Dublin, New York, Zürich
Media of output	Film
Size	4K video, black &vwhite Stereo Duration 13:00 minutes
Publication status	Published - 27 May 2020

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Willie Doherty EndlessFinal published version, 249 KB
WILLIE DOHERTY_ENDLESS_catalogue_KGFinal published version, 3.39 MBLicence: Unspecified

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Profiles

Willie Doherty

w.doherty@ulster.ac.uk

Belfast School of Art - Professor of Video Art
Faculty of Arts, Humanities & Social Sciences - Full Professor

Person: Academic

Cite this

Doherty, W. (Photographer). (2020). ENDLESS. Installation, . https://kerlingallery-viewingroom.exhibit-e.art/viewing-room/willie-doherty#tab:slideshow;tab-1:thumbnails

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abstract = "ENDLESS, is a film produced as part of Willie Doherty{\textquoteright}s ongoing research into the relation between trauma and memory in post-conflict Northern Ireland. This enquiry reflects on the insidious nature of mistrust and deception in a divided community and references the recruitment of paid British agents and informers during the conflict. Doherty{\textquoteright}s film locates these concerns against the contemporary backdrop of post-truth politics, where protocols of truth and accountability have been undermined by the normalisation of {\textquoteleft}alternative facts{\textquoteright} and the corruption of democracy, as politicians lie with impunity and without consequence. In drawing out these connections the research creates significant new perspectives and enhances understanding of the extent to which trauma, caused by unsolved, historical crimes, endures and of how discourse about the memorialisation and recounting of events from the past remains politically sensitive and contested. The distinctive contribution of Doherty{\textquoteright}s research to artists{\textquoteright} use of the moving image is to situate the research in relation to conventional forms of narrative and characterisation, while allowing multiple, non-linear readings and ambiguities that mirror seemingly intractable political issues. Doherty{\textquoteright}s rigorous production and use of monochrome, shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, and the confessional nature of the script, delivered both as voiceover and spoken directly to camera by the actor, Christopher Eccleston references documentary tropes. Doherty undercuts this reading and upends narrative expectations, as it is revealed that the protagonist speaks as a spectre, from beyond the grave, unreliable, filled with shame and self-loathing. ENDLESS builds upon and expands an existing body of work by embracing historical and contemporary contexts in a way that demonstrates a coherent, methodological approach. The research advances the way in which short-form artists{\textquoteright} film can successfully develop new forms of expression that integrate formal concerns and socio-political content in a resolved and rigorous manner.",

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note = "Synopsis: ENDLESS features an unnamed man, dressed in the plainest of plain clothes, encountered in the most basic of architectural environments, an empty building with bare brick walls and bare board floors. His situation is one of enduring solitude. His story is one of deceit, disguise and disgrace. He tells, in non-specific terms, of constructing an identity and colluding with others in a conspiracy of deception. His life is a lie. Notes: ENDLESS, was shot in a former British Army base in Derry, Northern Ireland in the days before the COVID-19 lockdown was imposed. The film was edited during the lockdown and released on line by galleries in Dublin, Zurich, and New York in May 2020. It is the first work that Doherty has released on line. On 5 September, 2019, in reply to a question asking him to promise that he would not go back to Brussels and ask for another delay to Brexit, Boris Johnson asserted that “ he would rather be dead in a ditch.” Johnson{\textquoteright}s casual and insensitive remark, evoking memories of paramilitary murders, caused consternation, offence, and fear about the impact Brexit might have on an already fragile peace process. “The Provisional IRA themselves have made it clear on a number of occasions that where they believe people within the organisation to be agents or informers they can expect no mercy. This usually means torture, followed by a forced confession and murder. The corpse will then be found in a ditch, often many miles from the point of abduction.” From archives disclosed by the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI), 30 December, 2019 ",

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N2 - ENDLESS, is a film produced as part of Willie Doherty’s ongoing research into the relation between trauma and memory in post-conflict Northern Ireland. This enquiry reflects on the insidious nature of mistrust and deception in a divided community and references the recruitment of paid British agents and informers during the conflict. Doherty’s film locates these concerns against the contemporary backdrop of post-truth politics, where protocols of truth and accountability have been undermined by the normalisation of ‘alternative facts’ and the corruption of democracy, as politicians lie with impunity and without consequence. In drawing out these connections the research creates significant new perspectives and enhances understanding of the extent to which trauma, caused by unsolved, historical crimes, endures and of how discourse about the memorialisation and recounting of events from the past remains politically sensitive and contested. The distinctive contribution of Doherty’s research to artists’ use of the moving image is to situate the research in relation to conventional forms of narrative and characterisation, while allowing multiple, non-linear readings and ambiguities that mirror seemingly intractable political issues. Doherty’s rigorous production and use of monochrome, shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, and the confessional nature of the script, delivered both as voiceover and spoken directly to camera by the actor, Christopher Eccleston references documentary tropes. Doherty undercuts this reading and upends narrative expectations, as it is revealed that the protagonist speaks as a spectre, from beyond the grave, unreliable, filled with shame and self-loathing. ENDLESS builds upon and expands an existing body of work by embracing historical and contemporary contexts in a way that demonstrates a coherent, methodological approach. The research advances the way in which short-form artists’ film can successfully develop new forms of expression that integrate formal concerns and socio-political content in a resolved and rigorous manner.

AB - ENDLESS, is a film produced as part of Willie Doherty’s ongoing research into the relation between trauma and memory in post-conflict Northern Ireland. This enquiry reflects on the insidious nature of mistrust and deception in a divided community and references the recruitment of paid British agents and informers during the conflict. Doherty’s film locates these concerns against the contemporary backdrop of post-truth politics, where protocols of truth and accountability have been undermined by the normalisation of ‘alternative facts’ and the corruption of democracy, as politicians lie with impunity and without consequence. In drawing out these connections the research creates significant new perspectives and enhances understanding of the extent to which trauma, caused by unsolved, historical crimes, endures and of how discourse about the memorialisation and recounting of events from the past remains politically sensitive and contested. The distinctive contribution of Doherty’s research to artists’ use of the moving image is to situate the research in relation to conventional forms of narrative and characterisation, while allowing multiple, non-linear readings and ambiguities that mirror seemingly intractable political issues. Doherty’s rigorous production and use of monochrome, shot in 4:3 aspect ratio, and the confessional nature of the script, delivered both as voiceover and spoken directly to camera by the actor, Christopher Eccleston references documentary tropes. Doherty undercuts this reading and upends narrative expectations, as it is revealed that the protagonist speaks as a spectre, from beyond the grave, unreliable, filled with shame and self-loathing. ENDLESS builds upon and expands an existing body of work by embracing historical and contemporary contexts in a way that demonstrates a coherent, methodological approach. The research advances the way in which short-form artists’ film can successfully develop new forms of expression that integrate formal concerns and socio-political content in a resolved and rigorous manner.

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