w h o w i l l b e n e x t

We went to the RCA show at Battersea which is always an exciting one since these should be the next generation of big artist who will go on to be super successful (however that might be defined). 

One of our highlights was The Idle Institute, made up of Sonia Bernac and Eliot Allison, who had produced ‘The Itches: A Gym for Public Embarrassments’. It’s a series of objects about confronting, preparing, or assisting in social situations. Examples includes a machine for forcing your way through the crowd using the ‘elbow-hip’ method, or a machine for the practice of half-opening your mouth during a conversation. Very clever and funny. 

Another highlight was Mati Jhurry who produced a film which was a supercut of multiple spa welcome videos. It was dealing with the idea of the image of paradise. The tourism and hospitality industry really invest in this vision of utopia and it made us think and stuck with us. The set-up didn’t seem to have much logic to it but we’re only being picky because we enjoyed it!

w h i t e c h a p e l o p e n o r c l o s e d ?

We visited the Whitechapel Open exhibition this week which we have mixed feelings about. The show is a paid open call which feels weird for a publicly funded gallery but maybe that’s just us… The show itself was pretty great, our favourite work being Larry Achiampong’s Relic Traveler 1 which features an individual roaming across desolate sites uncovering fragments of audible data presenting clue-like testimonies to a forgotten Empire. They then find themselves in an atmosphere that simultaneously delivers poetic moments of the sublime met with increasingly harrowing claustrophobia and tales of trauma. It results in a familiar feeling of otherness, we are invited on a journey that embodies hysteria. 

Was excellent to see Richard Healy’s film again from his show at Tenderpixel which was all about magic and the tension between stasis and transformation. If you haven’t seen it we would highly recommend you seek it out; it shows a succession of interconnected architectural spaces, whilst following the path of a fictional narrator – half architect, half shaman – who explores his self-erected environment through a series of sexual encounters.

d e g r e e s h o w s e a s o n c o n t i n u e s

The Slade MA show was fairly fruitful this year. There was the classic case of ‘stuff that looks like art’. Because of the amount of space everyone has, they seem to throw everything and the kitchen sink into their show. This doesn’t allow for any subtlety, obviously this is a personal preference but it’s something we noticed all the same. It genuinely feels like they each get their own little mini solo show. 

Some memorable points were Solveig Settemsdal, who won the Jerwood drawing prize for a beautiful underwater bubble video. They had produced a crazy archaeological investigation room. The best part of which was a giant, inflated dragon/dinosaur tale. 

Another was Gray Wielebinski’s room which was a little over the top, so much crap just thrown into it; coloured liquid tower, a full wrack of lockers with all bits and bobs in them. However, we enjoyed the baseball cards and 3D figures and models. 

Next, we had Leni Dothan who made these vessels/coffins. This is another weak spot of ours; coffins/grave stones or anything else things that symbolises death. It’s the feeling of the unknown and the fact that a life is reduced to a standardised box. 

Something we initially weren’t too keen on due to its look was Mary Wintour’s work. it was a collection of objects/drawings/paintings/artefacts all to do with mountains. It felt like it was all about the relationship humans have with nature; brands and religion all try to build a persona that people can relate to. 

Something we hadn’t seen in a while was Kimberley Beach’s selection of small chunky TVs which in our opinion should be banned…they’re annoying and pointless. 

We’ve been thinking about a new work, it’s another idea for a film to add to the list. Perhaps it would be more effective as a list of film ideas in a book or something but it’s all in progress. We’ve been thinking about opening scenes or character intros. A television series that opens its story as well as any is Patrick McGoohan’s brilliant (if occasionally maddening), The Prisoner. We re-watched a number of these recently and greatly admire the creators for trusting the audience by using a 90 second opening with no dialogue. The images make clear what the series is about economically and cleverly. The next 90 seconds of the opening were substantially the same each week, but included some tailoring for the episode at hand. It’s an arresting and innovative way to begin telling a story and it has great background music as well.

l i b r a r y s t o r i e s

We’ve been looking into residencies/graduate opportunities and have been tipped off about a residency in Ipswich library. At first this may sound dull but when we think about the potential it becomes very exciting. It’s only a small proposal and it’s a good exercise to get into. Our initial thoughts would be something to do with the books themselves and how they can be a vehicle to tell a story. Something we love in when you buy a second-hand book and find a note inside. Whether it’s a shopping list or a love letter, it gives you a small insight into the person who had the book before you. This could then join up with other notes and stories that all contribute to an overall narrative. It’s only in its initial stages of thought and we’ve got about a week to think about it but it would be great to have a digital reference point too, so that people could perhaps input their pieces of the story. We’re thinking that it’s similar to Millicent Place with a real-world grounding.