Mona Hatoum, Current Disturbance 1996. Tate. © Mona Hatoum; Keeping it Real: An Exhibition of Four Acts: Act 3: Mona Hatoum: Current Disturbance (installation view) Courtesy White Cube, London and Alexander and Bonin, New York. Photo: Patrick Lears .
Current Disturbance explores systems of control, political tension and the human body under surveillance
The installation consists of a wood and wire mesh structure of 240 stacked cages with a single household light bulb lying inside each cage. The title refers to the fluctuation of the electric current which makes the light bulbs fade up and down in a random fashion. The sound of the current coursing through the different wires is also amplified, creating a cacophony of crackling, humming and sometimes piercing sounds, which contribute to a feeling of unease.
Mona Hatoum’s work explores the tensions between the individual and systems of social control. She often uses the grid and the language of minimalism to challenge these systems, particularly, she states, ‘the regimentation of individuals, fixing them in space and putting them under surveillance’. Referencing restrictions on freedom and the power of the state, the structure evokes a tenement block or even prison quarters where the tenants are voicing their discontent.
Hatoum was born in Beirut to Palestinian parents. She settled in London in 1975 after the Lebanese Civil War broke out while she was on a short visit to Britain.