Douglas Gordon – Zidane

Pug In # 48:
Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno – Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait,
video installation
Van Abbemuseum, Eindhoven
Opening 28 February 2009

On 28 February 2009, the Van Abbemuseum opened the installation Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait by the artists Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno, episode #48 of Plug In. Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait (2006), is a portrait on film of Zinédine Zidane, one of the most famous soccer players in the world. During a match between Spanish football club Real Madrid (for whom Zidane played at the time) and Villarreal F.C. in Madrid on 23 April 2005, 17 synchronised cameras were focused on Zidane. The 2-channel video installation at the Van Abbemuseum has the same duration as the football match and consists of two video screens, one showing the edited version of the match, the other a synchronized edit of the footage from the cameras that were focused on Zidane. Viewers will be plunged into all facets of the universe of an athlete in action and will have the sensation of 'moving alongside' Zidane throughout the entire game. Zidane, A 21st Century Portrait, produced by Palomar Pictures and Anna Lena Films, was shown at the Cannes film festival in 2006, which is rather unusual for a work of art. The music for the film was composed by Mogwai, the international rock band from Glasgow. Over the years, the Van Abbemuseum has followed the work of both Douglas Gordon and Philippe Parreno and the museum has works of both artists in the collection.