The Ascent of Man Parts 1, 2 ,3

In this video triptych (Silent Running, Conditions Of Mercy and Acts Of Consumption), Salloum depicts the precarious position which Man has manoeuvred himself into over the course of time. The Ascent of Man argues that Man’s belief in Progress has achieved neither happiness nor his salvation and that it is likely to lead to his destruction. Throughout this work’s three sections we see how the balance of nature (which once could have been sustained) has now been disturbed and destroyed by the West’s need to control and manipulate the earth’s resources. This tape also examines representation and the way in which images are imbued with meaning. In the case of The Ascent of Man this means specifically dealing with how existing images from various contexts can be combined in order to tell a completely new and meaningful story.