Luca Bidoli: Anarchy in the UK
Untitled is an unusual version of the (in)famous song Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols. The song in the 70s was considered particularly controversial for the use of words like 'anarchy' and 'antichrist', but also for referencing conflicts that were happening at that time, such as the Angola civil war and the paramilitary armies IRA and UDA in the conflict in Northern Ireland.
Screening Room Programme
Online from 01.01.2021 to 10.02.2021
Invited by: Carolina Lio
Film and editing: Giordano Rizzardi
Soprano: Lara Matteini
Location: Carlo Uccelli
It's a troubled period for the UK. Brexit is coming into force on Jan 1, and we are leaving the EU with a rushed last-hour agreement far from crystal clear. In the meantime, we are hit by a supposedly more dangerous mutation of the pandemic, and most countries have banned travel to and from the UK. We are therefore dedicating this video by Luca Bidoli to Britain, a somewhat dated work (2011) that offers a perfect commentary on the current situation.
'Untitled' is an unusual version of the (in)famous song Anarchy in the UK by the Sex Pistols, that in the '70s was considered particularly controversial, to the point of getting banned, for the use of words like 'anarchy' and 'antichrist', but also for referencing to conflicts that were happening at that time, such as the Angola Civil War and the paramilitary armies IRA and UDA in the conflict in Northern Ireland; a conflict that today's Brexit ambiguity might potentially unearth.
In this version, the song is re-interpreted by lyric singer Lara Matteini, whose voice and gestures are drawn from classical opera. This even more poignant reading of the song highlights the incongruity of our times, the failed attempt for control, and the political dissonance isolating the UK from the rest of the world.
The work is, though, also an attempt to reconcile the opposites and to present a scenario in which conservative and progressive elements merge. Most of Bidoli's recent work creates an ambiguous area where we should re-consider and distance ourselves from the binary concept of black and white, good and evil, getting past the dogma and stepping into a more blended vision of reality.
The Screening Room Programme is an online public programme curated by Looking Forward.