Gilbert & George Interview Becomes Performance at Rome Film Fest

At the Festa del Cinema di Roma, an interview with Gilbert & George turned into a performance when the duo read each other's questions in front of mirrors, annihilating the aseptic interview space and multiplying their inner image. The occasion was the restoration of their 1981 film "The World of Gilbert & George," which they describe as containing "all our thoughts, feelings, hopes, fears, dreams, loves, nightmares, disasters, prophecies, memories, and tears." Though the film lacks narrative structure, it presents their world clearly and directly. The artists were asked about constant elements in their poetics over 35 years, the importance of moving leaves in the film's opening, their recitation of the Lord's Prayer and a secular prayer "Beauty is my art," the possibility of a volume 2, publishing the complex screenplay, total control over their work, London's influence on their style and thinking, and the symbiotic nature of their partnership. The interview concluded with personal questions: what was the craziest thing Gilbert did before meeting George, and George's favorite flower.