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Chris Rollen, Sweet bye ‘n’ by, 2007 |
17.
JOHN HARDY WAS A DESPERATE LITTLE MAN BY THE CARTER FAMILY, 1930 REMIX: CHRIS ROLLEN, SWEET BYE ‘N’ BY, 2007 In this ballad, John Hardy dies at the scaffold for murdering a man after he loses money gambling. In the drawing, several motifs in the song are visually represented. The playing card and quarter refer to the story of his crime, shooting a man down during a game of poker after a discrepancy over 25 cents. The two girls are ambiguously referenced in the song, are they Hardy’s daughters or his mistresses? The artist sees significance in the colour of their dresses to their character traits – blue for good and salvation and red for sin and retribution. This reflects a possible split in John Hardy’s psyche – perhaps the cause of his ‘desperate’ demeanour. Chris Rollen is based in Newcastle upon Tyne. He has recently presented work at Arnolfini, Bristol and National Review of Live Art, Glasgow. He is also a musician and member of the band Les Cox (Sportifs). |
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