Good Night, and Good Luck.
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Good Night, and Good Luck.
In October 1940, in a time when England was under German bomb attacks, Princess Elizabeth ended her first broadcast speech by saying “Good night and good luck to you all”. This farewell quote was a popular greeting among English citizens, in a period of time in which seeing each other the next morning was uncertain.
During the 1950’s, when the United States were dominated by the anti-communism policies of senator McCarthy, the war reporter Edward Murrow adopted this quote as a catchphrase to end his TV transmissions. In 2005, George Clooney used the same phrase to title a film dedicated to Murrow’s story. By portraying the reporter’s political battles, the movie brought to light not only his initiatives to reveal the obscure aspects of McCarthyism, but also his concerns about the use of television as a mere means of entertainment.
The exhibition “Good night, and Good Luck” recalls Murrow’s quote six decades later – in a historical time in which alienation and freedom of expression have once again become subjects of debate. In a period when digital connectivity and image circulation turned out to assume a central place in our societies, it addresses the hidden processes that undergo what is often “given to be seen” within the contemporary conflicts. It is a matter of questioning the invisible aspects that rule this increasingly visual reality, and by doing so, groping paths that could possibly allow us to leave the condition of lethargic spectators to become real political actors.