Common Ground

Andrea Luka Zimmerman's first UK solo exhibition + curated events

Common Ground catalogue entry:
The work of Andrea Luka Zimmerman explores the impact of globalisation, power structures, militarism and denied histories. Common Ground, Zimmerman’s first UK solo exhibition, celebrates strategies of social and cultural resistance and proposes new ways of living together in the face of a threatened idea of the ‘common good'.

Central to the exhibition, Zimmerman’s essay film Estate, a Reverie (2015) tracks the long drawn out closure of the Haggerston Estate in East London and the utopian promise of social housing it once offered. Filmed over seven years, Estate, a Reverie reveals the spirited everyday humanity and resilience of residents who, in circumstances like these, are habitually overlooked by media representations and wider social responses. The film portrays the complex relationships between people and the conditions in which they find themselves; asking how we might resist stereotypes of class, gender, ability, disability and geography.

The themes of Estate, a Reverie resonate in further films, images, documents and events brought together for Common Ground. Taskafa - Stories of the Street (2013), is a film about survival and co-existence told through the lives of the street dogs of Istanbul and the citizens who care for them. It is voiced by the late writer and storyteller John Berger from his own novel King: A Street Story (1988). Zimmerman’s Merzschmerz (2014) is a series of short videos in which children retell (from memory) fairy tales written by the German artist Kurt Schwitters to an adult neighbour or friend. These short scenes draw attention to the process of remembering and forgetting – as well as addition and subtraction – that is essential to the handing on of stories from one person to another. They are tender portraits which show the role of a listener to be as important as that of a narrator in the telling of a tale.

Common Ground provides an environment for open discussion, research and debate about the issues at the heart of these films and the other work in the exhibition. A series of talks, discussions, readings and screenings are organised over three weekends during the exhibition. There is a library area within the gallery with books and archival material related to the projects, where visitors are welcome to sit and look, listen or read.

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ADDITIONAL EVENTS:

(Un) Common
Saturday 29 April 2017, 2–5pm

Andrea Luka Zimmerman hosts a drop in event with collaborators on her film Estate, a Reverie; David Roberts, Elam
Forrester and Lorna Forrester.

Elam Forrester
Born in London, Elam Forrester is a young filmmaker and photographer who has worked on a number of film projects and exhibitions both in the UK and in Central America, focusing on social issues such as housing, London’s vanishing markets, issues affecting young Londoners and Women's Rights in El Salvador. In 2015 she produced her own film and photographic exhibition called Stories of El Salvador, which included her short films and photographs that she made while volunteering there. Elam is also a graduate of University of the Arts, London College of Communication.

Lorna Forrester
Lorna was born in Jamaica, and came to Bristol in the late 70s to join her family. After leaving school she moved to London where she's lived ever since and now works in Education. She lived on Haggerston Estate for nearly 20 years until its demolition.

Discussion: Common Wealth
Saturday 20 May 2017, 12–5pm

This afternoon open discussion about housing and redevelopment addresses how these issues affect people in and around Bristol today. Andrea Luka Zimmerman invites guest campaigners, activists and others who are involved in related projects or research to take part.

Before this event at Spike Island, join us at Knowle West Media Centre at 10am for a local walking tour and introduction to their project We can make…homes, exploring how communities can lead and influence the development of housing in their area. This is also an opportunity to see the exhibition We can make…, which includes work by artists Caitlin Shepherd and Charlotte Biszewski made with Knowle West residents. Caitlin and Charlotte are joining the afternoon discussion at Spike Island. This local walking tour is led by Melissa Mean, Head of Arts Programme at KWMC.

In Common
Saturday 17 June 2017, 2–8pm
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Join us to celebrate the work of John Berger, a prolific writer of powerful art criticism, poetry and fiction. This event combines talks, screenings and an audio recording of Berger reading Andrey Platonov’s short story A Sparrow’s Journey, heard by candlelight.

• http://www.spikeisland.org.uk/events/exh...
• http://www.spikeisland.org.uk/events/tal...
• http://www.spikeisland.org.uk/events/tal...
• http://www.spikeisland.org.uk/events/tal...
• http://www.fugitiveimages.org.uk/project...