Esc

‘Esc’ is a major solo exhibition, commissioned by Matt’s Gallery and funded by The Henry Moore Institute and Bloomberg. It is an original investigation into social behaviour aiming to create new relationships between public/private space, psychological space, and the space of protest in the light of current social and environmental concerns. Using a vocabulary of documentary video and sculptural/architectural installation, ‘Esc’ contributes to and furthers contemporary art discourses around sculpture, architecture and digital media.

The installation comprised 5 elements:

-A wall painting of red and white concentric circles acts as a backdrop.
-A large cardboard box construction protrudes from one of the windows.
-The viewer goes under and up inside the box to see a monitor depicting a station forecourt. The camera hones in on businessmen unsteady on their feet after an evening’s drinking, their gaze directed upward towards an undefined space.
-Outside the box and central to the space, another monitor depicts tree houses which were built in protest against the reopening of a quarry. Removed from their context, they appear as idealized spaces fulfilling fantasies of adventure.
-The third video depicts a group practicing a Qi Gong exercise involving shaking on the spot for extended periods. With their eyes closed and their focus internal, they appear carried away by the rhythm and repetition of their activity.

The cumulative juxtapositions of these connected and diverse elements (listed above) create the work.