ERAN TSAFRIR.

Passing a hidden black door and equipped with only a torch, a visitor to ascensIon. is plunged into a dark, derelict space, a solitary journey through the interior of the old Shoreditch station in East London. An ascension to a setting of ethereal photographic images of a snow white English landscape enclosed in lead structures, suspended above mounds of earth, grit, bricks, tarmac and cement – to Gol'gotha.

Fragments of video footage of protests and riots veiled by tarnished processed fabric and newspapers emerge from behind the composition. Audio elements resonate within the space – political speeches and statements about the effect of snow on the faltering economy, parliamentary debates, a rioting black bloc, the chiming bells of St. Paul’s Cathedral, and from above, the ‘live’ sounds of trains passing that rattle and quake the space.

“Haunting, complex and evocative”, “challenging, exciting and confrontational”, “intense”, “mesmerising” – these are some of the expressions used by visitors to describe their visit to ascensIon.

ascensIon. – a mixed-media site-specific installation by Eran Tsafrir was on show at the hidden Old Shoreditch Station Project Space in London’s East End in December 2011 – January 2012.

The work was developed over a period of twelve months with the support of a team of talented individuals from a range of disciplines, including filmmaking, sound design, printmaking, architecture and construction. See: Credits.

ascensIon. is part of diG.shaKe.riSeandblEEed,myloVe. - a project questioning the potency of demonstration, revolt and sacrifice as an instrument for policy change, against the backdrop of the current economic downturn, cuts, job losses, protest, strikes, riots and occupations.

diG.shaKe.riSeandblEEed,myloVe. is created within the ambit of conteXtism – a manifesto-driven initiative aimed at illuminating the interrelationships between art and the social, political, economic, religious, ethical and legal contexts in which it is made and displayed. In the belief that art has the power to unravel the complexity, intricacy and multi-dimensionality of prevailing human and social reality and the forces that shape it, artwork created as part of the project serves as a trigger for debate, and for tackling questions about the wave of protest we have witnessed in the last few years.

The project's blog and Facebook Page contain a selected assembly of news reports, analyses and commentaries published in the press since 2010 in response to events on the ground. There are photographs that form part of the artwork, architectural sketches, hundreds of work-in-progress (wip) photos, commissioned articles and audio and video pieces.