Sovereign
Click here to see a videoclip.

Director: Philip Napier       12 minutes, 1995

      Sovereign was produced in Vancouver as a reciprocal part of the Canada-U.K.
Exchange that hosted Canadian artist Nhan Duc Nguyen in Belfast in 1994.
Belfast artist Philip Napier produced his first videotape and presented an
installation of new sculptural time-based work that focussed on issues and
images relating to Belfast, the Irish diaspora and Northern Ireland in
general. In this new work, he used dental x-rays and bus destinations signs as
a metaphor for a city. In this case, he used Vancouver images to compare and
contrast with those in Belfast. Napier was artist-in-residence in Vancouver
from Oct. 9 - 30, 1995.

      Napier's past work has dealt with media manipulation of the Troubles in his
city, and the personal tragic consequences that the misinformation campaign
has had on prolonging the war. Sovereign uses Belfast and the British Army
occupation as a beginning that quickly develops into a lyrical visual journey
to Vancouver via bus destination signs.

Executive Producer:     Elspeth Sage
Technical Director/On-line Editor:     Andrew Power
Camera:     Andrew Power
Assistant Camera:     Ryan Tunnicliffe
Production Assistant:     Aniko Fenyvesi

A Locus +/On Edge/Video In Production (all rights reserved).

Special thanks to Mary Janeway; Dr. Jean Paquette; Christine Stewart; Winston Xin; Wayne Yung; B.C. Transit; Greyhound (Canada); and The Royal Victoria Hospital (Belfast).

Produced in Vancouver, B.C. Canada October, 1995

These projects are part of an ongoing series of international cultural exchanges between On Edge, Locus + and Flax Art.

Funding: Arts Council of Northern Ireland; Arts Council of England; B. C. Cultural Services; B. C. Public Gaming Commission; Canada Council Exhibition Assistance; Catalyst Arts and Northern Arts.
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