Laure Prouvost’s It, Heat, Hit is a staccato composition of fragmentary images, abrupt inter-titles and an urgent, whispered voice-over. Organized according to an oblique and shifting logic, the piece weaves a loose narrative of desire and past trauma while pushing the limits of comprehension and coherence. The video is partly a narrative and partly a free, self-referential play with cinematic form and structure. “Smells red,” Prouvost hisses in voice-over, as a fiery, glowing close-up of hot embers flashes on screen, barely long enough to register in the mind of the viewer. A few moments later, a title appears:

IN HIS ANGER
THE IMAGES WERE
BURNING

Shortly thereafter:

THE FILM
HAD TO TURN
HERE

In this short passage, then, the text refers to narrative elements such as feelings (anger) and characters (him). At the same time, it refers to the images on screen (which were burning) and to the structure of the film itself (which had to take a turn). The next image we see is a rapid-fire sequence of a car turning, accompanied by the sound of a whistle or siren. There are multiple organizing principles at play, multiple ways in which image, language and sound may be interconnected. With its driving pace, disparate imagery and shifting structure, It, Heat, Hit will keep you in a state of cognitive overload. Be prepared for long-dormant neural pathways to re-open as you trace the threads (narrative and otherwise) that weave through Prouvost’s video. It may tickle.

Laure Prouvost was born in 1978 in Croix-Lille, France, and lives and works in London. She graduated from Central Saint Martins College of Arts in 2002. In 2009 she completed the LUX Artist Associate Programme. Her work, which includes painting, video, sound and site-specific work, has been exhibited widely. She won the EAST International Award 2009 in Norwich, UK. Since 2003 she has also been Director of tank.tv, the online platform for artists’ work in moving images.

Curated by Michael Connor