Entropy is commonly illustrated by depositing a drop of black ink into a glass of clear water – initially the drop remains ordered and intact, but ultimately dissolves into a bland uniformity or maximum entropy. This process played in reverse, anti-entropy – “the gathering of chaos into order,” as Gary Zukav states it – is the focus of William Kentridge’s recent project (REPEAT) from the beginning
William Kentridge’s projection for the fire curtain at Venice’s main opera, Teatro La FeniceEntropy is commonly illustrated by depositing a drop of black ink into a glass of clear water – initially the drop remains ordered and intact, but ultimately dissolves into a bland uniformity or maximum entropy. This process played in reverse, anti-entropy – “the gathering of chaos into order,” as Gary Zukav states it – is the focus of William Kentridge’s recent project (REPEAT) from the beginning. At its centre are eight constructions, chaotic conglomerations of bits of black paper and cardboard on armatures of wire and dowels. The constructions, which metaphorically refer to an orchestra coming into tune, rotate on turntables until at one single point the various bits and pieces harmonise, aligning in such a way that they form the recognisable silhouettes of a conductor, a musician or a singer. (There is also a silhouette of a large nose riding a horse, which is a reference to Kentridge’s concurrent project, I am Not the Horse, The Horse is not Mine.) Intending the constructions to be viewed within a two-dimensional context, Kentridge captures their movement in a six-minute film, Return, originally commissioned for screening during the orchestral tune-up at Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The antithesis of traditional painting, these are threedimensional works which endeavour to create an illusion of twodimensionality.READ FULL REVIEW IN PRINT EDITION
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