EXPANDED CINEMA the EYE Amsterdam

LIZ SAYS: Out at the Eye in Amsterdam, the Expanded Cinema diligently rolls it's film all day long.
It was supposed to be raining buckets, but we took a chance while the sun was out and popped across the water to the Eye.

I was wearing my new 1789 red spatted boots. They rule on the lumpy streets of Amsterdam. We'd actually walked quite a bit, on the brisk, sunny day retrieved from the forecasted day with promised buckets of rain.
The boots were a surprise. We came upon them in a shop window. I thought they were just too cute. There had to be something wrong with them.
The soles were non slip over real leather, the heel was not too high, but the boot was so stylish, it's practicality was beside the point. I don't run into those kind of shoes often, when I do, there is a crisis of conscience over spending that much on shoes. But, these turned out to be well within the Hey, that's Totally Ridiculous for one pair of Shoes barrier. Like the Jimmy Choo 775€ sequined patent trainers I’d seen the very same day.
The shoes of the moment are just all way too disco queen for me. Shoes are in this ridiculous cycle of Uggs’ Just got out of Bed look and the My Feet Never Touch the Ground, Carry Me to the Taxi platformed pins. Anything can be had with or without studs and sequins as long as you want it black and chunky.
Red leather trimmed with purple piping.
They had me at the purple piping. Then, with the lacing system, perfected by the inner zipper and the wire in the piping so you can pose the top of the spat with or without contrasting trim. They make a stomp or a muffled thunk when I walk, as opposed to, a tight hard click of stilettos or the insubstantial muffled soft shoe of Uggs.
Yeah, so I'm wearing them and I realize how well the Italian makers designed and crafted the shoes, that the confident Dutchman sold me. The shoes I bought because they so clearly spelled out the great French revolution in blazing color with coordinating contrast trim.
And people think fashion is silly.

Expanded Cinema was three rooms of video broadened to expect an active viewer, one who was expected to walk around and conclude the story. The first presentation included 7 screens of visual info side by side. Immediately  annoying because it is hard to see everything from any single initial vantage point. The viewer is prompted to move around the room to gather the info on the various scenes into the story the viewer is satisfied with. Yeah, it was cool.
I’m sure I’ve seen one of Yang Fudong’s pieces before in Amsterdam. It was a vid with 3 screens called Boy in Traffic. I immediately remembered seeing it when I walked into the first darkened room with the seven screens.
Fiona Tan’s vid was gorgeous and very seductive. It kept winding a story ever inward, but the bleed through of the sound from the installation next door made my mind wander and pulled me into the rollicking chaos of Chinese red and marching men, city block towers and crisp blue skies. There were several video screens spread about  in the dark. There were rolling scenes of fast paced sidewalk scenery, it rolled up to high rise window views.
I have to admit, in my still reeling head, it did reference the 1789 show’s storming of the Bastille scene, where the dancers running was helped along by the fast moving animated rolling shots of the stone walls.
Issac Julien’s work prompted me to walk quickly in circles, enjoying the rush of the images as they slide and rose.
I was quite impressed.