John Sanborn (US)

1 November 2019 City Sonic

Sorry (misery loves company) (Belgian premiere)

Our leaders are working overtime to find someone to blame – and although we know different – we feel guilty and ashamed. We’re being criticized for who we are, with indignity flung not at just stereotypical villains but anyone and everyone. This is done in an attempt to divert us from finding solutions for our shared problems. There are multiple motives for estrangement, even within cohesive movements; so we’re ignoring that what unties us is our sorrow.

Yes, we’re sorry. We’re sorry for who we are, how we act, what we think, and our failures. We’re sorry to offend, ignore and perpetuate the shit we’re responsible for causing. And we’re sorry that we are powerless to fix things.

Sorry is an ironic but heartfelt call to action rendered as an acappella song that is somber, silly and starkly to the point. Why are we wasting time on hate, division, fear and anger? ‘Sorry’ is sung by a collection of people of all ages, races, genders and personality types. There is an ironic honesty to raw voices expressing a confused and shifting perspective on the effect that social naiveté is having on how we present ourselves and live our lives.

Biography

John Sanborn is a key member of the second wave of American video artists that included Bill Viola, Gary Hill, Dara Birnbaum and Tony Oursler. Sanborn’s body of work spans the early days of experimental video art in the 1970s through the heyday of MTV music/videos and interactive art to digital media art of today. Sanborn’s work has manifested itself on television, video installations, video games, Internet experiences and multi-media art. He is known for collaborations with virtuosic performers, contemporary composers and choreographers. His oeuvre primarily addresses the themes of music, mythology and memory. Sanborn’s works have been shown at almost every contemporary art museum in the world.