Exhibition Sittings: Khaled Sabsabi

Khaled Sabsabi at Anne and Gordon Samstag Museum

Photo taken at the exhibition

Photo taken at the exhibition

Video taken at the exhibition

I found this work to be very interesting, particularly based on the fact that backgammon is a game played quite often in my household based on my Iranian background. The work is a projection of 6 games of backgammon onto one table. The table is accompanied by two leather seats. I sat down and watched the hands moving and the dies rolling. I loved the way that the game was happening on the table in front of me and I could see and hear it but it was not really there. The hands are entering the view from all angles and sliding the checkers across the board, throwing the dice  in a whirlwind of motion. The film plays on a loop and projection is constantly in motion. The game is dependant on chance and strategy equally and could act as a metaphor for the complex relationship between the countries that make up the Middle East. It is, however, very easy to imagine different interpretations of the work. One could see it as a representation of play within adults or as an exploration of competition within the human condition. I, myself, interpreted it as a common ground of peace between conflict; almost a truce of commonality for the brief duration of the game. This peace between potential enemies could be extended by challenging the opponent over and over, causing the conflict to be put aside for. 

I like the way that the work invites you into it. The seats to the side of the table are inviting and the eyes are drawing to the table top. The viewer is suddenly interacting with the piece without really intending on doing so. It is also quite difficult to discern when the clip has gotten to the end and looped based on the fast nature of the games that are being played, this means that the viewer might find themselves sitting and observing for a number of loops rather than just one. I found that the seats played an important role in my interaction with the work. I was able to sit down and then completely concentrate on what was in front of me. Had the chairs not been placed down, the same environment would not have been created and I would have been less inclined to observe the work for as long as I did. The artist had indeed created an environment by the way that the work was presented to the viewer. It felt separate to the rest of the works within the gallery based on the way that he had created a new, inclusive space.

I would have liked to have seen the work in a smaller space that housed the work on its own. I thought this would be beneficial to the work as it would strengthen the feeling of inclusion and create an environment within which viewing the work was intimate and personal. I did, however, feel that the work was appropriate within the wider context of the gallery space; the majority of the backgammon games that I have played have taken place at busy family gatherings and I can imagine that the viewing the work within a busy gallery would have replicated the same feeling.