Trama

The Golden Space City of God, combines elements from the Book of Revelation with science fiction imagery to describe events leading up to the end of the world. Though charged with the authority of religious fundamentals, Grayson's account does not intend to convey apocalyptic enlightenment; rather, it raises questions surrounding our models of interpretation. Within the context of contemporary economic and political environments, we begin to understand Grayson's presentation as an inquiry into the development of narrative, analyzing varying modes of communication and their role in establishing global systems. While the gestures in Grayson's Artpace installation are informed by his personal interpretation of communication systems, we can further understand the underlying message through the lens of Niels Bohr's concept of Complementarity. Bohr argued that an entity can be understood by differing models of interpretation, but these descriptions cannot coexist: the most famous example is perhaps light, which can be described in terms of waves or particles, but not both. The Golden Space City of God explores similar mechanisms in current political, cultural, and ideological spheres, where revolutionary theory is increasingly challenged by supernatural belief systems. Grayson's Artpace installation explores expressions associated with divine intervention and the lyrics reveal a multifarious account involving not only religious happenings, but also economic crises and the arrival of a giant golden spaceship.—Richard Grayson