Mark Soo
That’s That’s Alright Alright Mama Mama
The two large-scale stereoscopic photographs in That’s That’s Alright Alright Mama Mama depict a recreation of Elvis Presley’s recording studio in Memphis, Tennessee. This study in doubles is underscored by its title, which repeats and doubles Elvis’s original song title. The images are hung in a specially angled wall and the viewers are provided special 3-D glasses in order to contemplate the image. The final result is the three-dimensional experience of a reconstructed site. More than a mere play with optical illusions and perception, Soo’s operation plays with the idea of the original and the replica to comment on the illusory character of any reconstruction, reproduction, or representation.
Born in Singapore, raised in Malaysia, and based in Canada, artist and curator Mark Soo’s practice is concept-driven and research-based. He works in a variety of media, often manipulating his images to emphasize to the psychological, physiological, cultural aspects of light and color. Recently, Soo has begun to create works that reconsider specific sites or explicit moments in social history.