IN SEARCH OF THE TRUTH (THE TRUTH BOOTH) BY HANK WILLIS THOMAS AND THE CAUSE COLLECTIVE

In Search of The Truth (The Truth Booth) – an installation created by artist Hank Willis Thomas in collaboration with Cause Collective artists Ryan Alexiev and Jim Ricks – has been brought to the Iziko South African National Gallery for one day. The installation is comprised of a touring, portable, inflatable booth, and the exterior is shaped like a giant cartoon speech bubble with the word ‘TRUTH’ boldly printed on the side. The interior acts much like a photo booth, but serves to compile 2 minute long video responses from the public. Once seated inside they will then be invited to record their opinions and thoughts as they finish the statement: “The truth is...”. Throughout this long-term project the video footage has been compiled and edited into a video artwork. The project was first commissioned in 2011 by the Arts Council of Ireland and the SF Foundation. Its arrival at Iziko SANG forms part of the Power of Words film project hosted by Montblanc, which will have its international premiere in Cape Town this November. The project grew out of an initiative in which five filmmaker teams were invited to interpret a selection of Nelson Mandela’s quotes through film and was first launched by Montblanc in April 2013 at the Tribeca Film Festival. In partnership with Times Square alliance, a short video was projected in New York’s iconic Times Square every night shortly before midnight for a month. In April 2014 Montblanc announced the continuation of the Power of Words in partnership with the Tribeca Film Institute and Nelson Mandela Foundation for a short film project. Hank Willis Thomas is one of the directors invited to be a part of this second edition of the Power of Words. Open to the public on Thursday 13 November from 9am - 5pm http://www.insearchofthetruth.net/about.html