Feature image: ‘Big Sauce’ 2014
As well as being a contributor here at Crack in the Road, Sophie Chapman is also a multimedia and installation artist currently in her final year at Central Saint Martins.
I caught up with her ahead of tomorrows CitR Live #3 where she’ll be exhibiting some of her latest work.
 
CC: One thing that intrigues me about your work is a figurative precariousness and fragility paired with a harshly handled, almost cobbled together aesthetic, how do you manage to balance the two?
SC: Throughout the work, in practice i.e. in making it and when it is done and I am arranging the stuff- there is a constant attempt to balance some areas and off balance others. And it’s tricky. I want some parts of it to build a rhythm and allow the viewer in that way, and other things to throw that off. In doing so I hope to achieve an experience similar to everyday moments of navigation, you always unconsciously try and make sense of what’s going on around you. The objects are like drunk objects, not behaving how they should.
<a href="https://api.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/27320-artist-interview-sophie-chapman/attachment/_mg_0079/" rel="attachment wp-att-27323"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-27323" title="'Art about cats, exploring consciousness'" alt="" src="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uploads/2014/03/MG_0079.jpg" width="3110" height="2074" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_0079.jpg 5184w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_0079-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_0079-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_0079-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 3110px) 100vw, 3110px" /></a>
‘Art about cats, exploring consciousness’ 2014
Do you have any overarching themes to your practice or does each piece of work tell us something different?
I am at a moment of trying not to tackle everything at once, even though it feels like I should. To take on examples of the work rather than tackling the world. So the overarching themes relate to consumption I guess, as to drink in experience, bodily, and information wise, is like an ongoing glugging down, even if you don’t want to. Within this is an interest in ‘things’ the feel of things and the colors and textures of things. How this can be fucked with to demonstrate their thingly-ness.
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/27320-artist-interview-sophie-chapman/attachment/_mg_9950_2/" rel="attachment wp-att-27324"><img class="wp-image-27324 aligncenter" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_9950_2.jpg" width="1555" height="2333" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_9950_2.jpg 2592w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_9950_2-200x300.jpg 200w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_9950_2-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/MG_9950_2-33x50.jpg 33w" sizes="(max-width: 1555px) 100vw, 1555px" /></a>
‘Chewing beige, tribute to Rauschenberg’s chicken burger’ 2014
How do you incorporate the viewer in your installations?
I am working really hard right now to do this, it seems to be my main focus. In a physical sense, I’ve been thinking of obstructing entry to the space, changing the way one moves around the ‘stuff’, the affect that has emotionally- if you get to slump into a chair, or stand up too straight not to knock something over. And also in that all the stuff is full to the brim loaded with pop cultural/artistic/historical references, even if half-arsed and not pursued, the pictures of Gazza, the pub carpet, the tie-dyed net curtains rely on the audience’s previous experience of the material, or similar material. So then in a way it becomes up to the individual how far they pull on these different strings, how much they let these signifiers take over the work or not.
What are you working on at the moment?
I am working on a piece for the CSM open studios event, which will incorporate suggestions of bathroom décor, with the furniture of a corner shop. Also hopefully adding sound to the work for the first time. Which is another element I’d like to play with, another material to throw off the immediate understanding of the work.
I’ve been thinking about this in relation to keeping the work mobile, including changing the arrangement throughout the duration of the show, I think adding sound will create another layer that can be experienced in very slight, momentary ways. Adding to the multiple versions of the work- as people seeing the work at different points in the show, will experience it very slightly altered from each other. I think this keeps the things activated and keep them dying as sculptures.
 <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/27320-artist-interview-sophie-chapman/attachment/img_7473/" rel="attachment wp-att-27326"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-27326" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7473.jpg" width="1402" height="2102" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7473.jpg 2336w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7473-200x300.jpg 200w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7473-683x1024.jpg 683w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7473-33x50.jpg 33w" sizes="(max-width: 1402px) 100vw, 1402px" /></a>‘The feeling when your lying on the bed’ 2014
I think this ongoing, open ended-ness relates back to some of my overarching concerns- with wanting to simulate a contemporary perspective of the world, what it is to be around.
Our present moment is one of the constant stream of information and ideas in the present day, things are very much unfinished, unsure, so many half read versions of the truth through the flow of images and language on the internet, the tube, the street etc. This is my way of encapsulating the flux that I am constantly endeavouring and perhaps failing to pin down in my work.
What is at the forefront of your research right now?
I’ve been reading a lot about space, the politics of space. As well as looking at research as practice- process driven work is very important to me, exploring intuition in practice, and the importance of not knowing and uncertainty. There are some great shows on in London at the moment, especially from female artists such as Trisha Baga and Helen Marten, which has been a massive help for my work. I’ve also been looking at poetic strategies, as a messing with language is inherent in what I am into.
I am also researching bean bags and garden chairs, I want to create an inside outside feel, and that slump I was on about. Pointed to the corner at something that is not a TV.
 <a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/27320-artist-interview-sophie-chapman/attachment/img_7616/" rel="attachment wp-att-27327"><img class="aligncenter wp-image-27327" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7616.jpg" width="2102" height="1402" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7616.jpg 3504w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7616-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7616-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2014/03/IMG_7616-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2102px) 100vw, 2102px" /></a>

Installation shot ‘Its About to Start’ performance event, Central Saint Martins, 2014
Other than CitR Live #3, where else can we see your work at the moment?
I am showing in an <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/134852236685544/?fref=ts">Open Studios</a> event at Central Saint Martins on Friday 14th March and at the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/486264948152204/?fref=ts">Thames Tower Residency</a> Friday 21st March. Soon the second issue of <a href="https://tripmag.co.uk/">TRIP</a> will be out featuring some of my photographs. And a profile in an upcoming issue of Avenir Magazine.
Thanks Sophie!
<a href="https://cargocollective.com/sophiechapman">https://cargocollective.com/sophiechapman</a>

Artist Interview: Sophie Chapman

In 2012 students all over the nation got angry, we felt betrayed by the Lib Dem’s false promises, and probably for the first time in our lives we felt the full brunt of the ruthlessness of British politics.
The rise of tuition fees to £9000 a year was definitely a shock and, in 2015 the graduates of this change will be taking on the real world with over £40,000 in debt, and probably only into an unpaid internship (which I could write a whole other article about, don’t get me started).
Its not looking good for us, in another 20-30 years, we’ll be the generation that’s running the country, so why aren’t we getting the support now? Or can we at least know where all that cash is going? We certainly know its not going to our universities.
The student protests were an example of that anger, a quick reflex after getting proverbially kicked in the stomach. But now that time has passed, and realizing that swiftly delivering a kick to Millbank’s nuts (or doors and windows) wasn’t going to get us anywhere, now is the time to be reflective. The problem is still there, but how are we going to act on it?
Temper Press is a two year research project run by students of Manchester School of Art (MMU) and although it’s a publication centered around arts education at Manchester Uni, the ethos, the tone of each article and the beautifully calming design echoes a state of mind that we should all adopt in order to get our point across.
They do not wish to patronizingly calm everyone down, in fact they invite you to ‘let out some rage’ and address the naming of the publication ‘Temper’ well aware of the fact that we all lost ours a couple of years ago. 
The book reads like a diplomatic conversation, everyone getting his or her chance to speak and be heard, which is a factor that is vital to our growing as people as well as victims to a harsh government ruling.
There is a lot of scope to this project and how far it can go within the two years, but as always, promotion is needed. 
So follow them on <a href="https://www.facebook.com/TEMPERPRESS?fref=ts">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/temperpress">Twitter</a>. 
Submit articles, and generally talk about the issue, just because it’s out of the media for now it doesn’t mean that we’ve given in. 
Personally, I would like it if the <a href="https://temperpress.wordpress.com/about-temper/">Temper Press website</a> had a section that contained the articles published so it can benefit a wider audience, and encourage the honesty that lies in the pages of this remarkable publication.

Arts Profile: Temper Press

Dominic Watson sings, chants at, and dances with prominent pieces of public sculpture, but the snooty, stone faced fools don’t even react. I think its impossible for even a piece of stone to leave this hilariously infectious artist cold and alone on the dance floor.
Watching Dominic’s attempts at getting Henry Moore’s womanly looking figures standing solitarily in the Galloway Hills, to join in with his effortlessly charming rendition of Queen’s Fat Bottomed Girls, these now humanised pieces of rock stare back at the artist snobbishly and you’re left copiously giggling at the screen with frustration impatiently waiting for a response that never arrives, not even a snigger. 
High Art. Loosen up and have a laugh.
For Dominic’s website click <a href="https://dominicwatson.net/">HERE</a> 
and Vimeo Channel <a href="https://vimeo.com/dominicwatson/videos">HERE</a> 
Check out his work at Bloomberg New Contemporaries at Spike Island, Bristol till the 10th November. Then at The ICA, London from the 27th November.
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Artist Profile: Dominic Watson

The Paradox of Identical differences (2013)
You’d usually encounter Mette Boel’s work in a photograph, but earlier this year at the Chelsea Degree Show, she stopped herself short, and chose to display this exquisite piece as an installation that the viewer can engage with in real time.I like to compare the concept behind the work to those little questions that arise when you’re a bit drunk and contemplative, or when you feel start to feel all tiny amongst a panoramic view of the countryside, the ones when we try to affirm ourselves as a human and a part of this planet.
Is the green that you see the same green that I see? 
Or, how when we hear recordings of our own voices we’re horrified about how we sound as opposed to how we think we sound. Mind. Blown.
These endless little inquisitive moments that pop up are what keeps us bound as a species in our collective intelligence and continued curiosity of how we perceive reality in our big and highly developed brains. 
A quote from the artist herself,
“Much like when lovers that truly love each other look at the same sunset, and feel and perceive as one, but without really doing so, because the same thing can never be perceived exactly the same way as it is looked upon and experienced by two different sets of eyes. “
Mette’s work is a poetical illustration of these existential topics, broken down to a snippet of our everyday that we can all relate to, but are bound to see differently. 
Breakfast I, II, III & VI (2013) takes a ritual that we all take part in and presents us with four different outcomes out of a million possible different ways that this simple meal is carried out.
It is also set up twice in the same shot to draw our attention further in and to have the ability to scrutinize it in a way that we wouldn’t have done if we were just presented with a bowl of yoghurt granola on its lonesome. This double take effect acts as the way in which she has turned an idea that would otherwise be dismissed into an art work that grabs our intrigue and holds it as you start to spot the difference.
Check out Mette’s website <a href="https://metteboel.com/">HERE</a>.
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<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/24069-artist-profile-mette-boel/attachment/breakfast-iii/" rel="attachment wp-att-24084"><img class="size-large wp-image-24084 aligncenter" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/09/Breakfast-III-640x427.png" width="640" height="427" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/24069-artist-profile-mette-boel/attachment/breakfast-vi/" rel="attachment wp-att-24086"><img class="size-large wp-image-24086 aligncenter" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/09/Breakfast-VI-640x426.png" width="640" height="426" /></a>

Artist Profile: Mette Boel

On Monday, Brighton’s Let The Machines Do The Work premiered their debut single Let Me Be The One. The song’s video is a piece of satirical genius, placing Tommy Robinson et al in complete idiocy. The three male protagonists who are all geared up for a day of needless violence on Birmingham’s streets, accidentally stumble upon the rebuttal of the English Defence League, The English Disco Lovers, and can’t help but catch that funky beat and boogie on down with their pro equality cause – with a pretty impressive choreographed dance routine I might add.
The peaceful protest group have been in hot pursuit of the EDL’s notoriety for the past year, and are indeed catching up with the defence league’s amount of <a href="https://www.facebook.com/englishdiscolovers?fref=ts">Facebook</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/EngDiscoLovers">Twitter</a> followers, as well as being second in Google’s search rank when you type in ‘EDL’ thanks to a Google bomb put in place last September.
The Disco Lovers follow each Defence League protest around the country and annoy them with their good-natured and equality promoting disco moves. ‘Don’t hate. Gyrate!’ And ‘Don’t listen to Nazi Sympathisers. Dance along to Synthesisers!’ are just a couple of their many punnerific mantras coined by their founder Alex Jones, a 21 year old art student.
He explained to me the artistic influences that had a part in inspiring the project. A fantastic example, Yael Bartana’s And Europe will be stunned 2012, a stunning film trilogy documenting the movements of the <a href="https://www.jrmip.org/?page_id=240">Jewish Renaissance movement in Poland</a> (JRMiP) a ficticious movement initiated by the artist, which then gained international notoriety and support through her films to present the utopian dream of the Jews returning to Poland, to right the wrongs caused by the Nazis in WWII.
The Disco Lovers have taken leads from this beautifully executed artwork, re-appropriating hostile political propaganda and creating a new aesthetic which pokes fun at the ignorance of the E.D.L. This includes their logo and the use of disco music in a contemporary context, the unifying aspect of the music and lyrics that is intrinsic to the genre and the positive feelings created by the group as they spread their upbeat message.
I do hope that in the very near future it should go without saying that the abbreviation of E.D.L. will stand for English Disco Lovers. That I won’t have to put the worthier cause in brackets beside it in a feature title, just to make sure you all know I’m not talking about nor endorsing the former.
Be sure to catch an EDL event near you! Having just been at Glastonbury and Kendal Calling, they’ll also be at Shambala Festival from the 23rd August, as well as putting on Charity fundraisers in London, Brighton, Manchester, Newcastle and Bristol. Check out their upcoming events on their website <a href="https://www.edl.me/upcoming_events.html">HERE</a>.
I’d like to end this with a beautiful quote from Yael Bartana, which illustrates that by addressing one issue in detail can help us to see a bigger picture. Its also poignant in the idea of using art as a way to affect change.
‘This is a very uni­ver­sal story; as in pre­vi­ous works, I have treated Israel as a sort of a social lab­o­ra­tory, always look­ing at it from the out­side. These are mech­a­nisms and sit­u­a­tions which can be observed any­where in the world. My recent works are not just sto­ries about two nations — Poles and Jews. This is a uni­ver­sal pre­sen­ta­tion of the impos­si­bil­ity of liv­ing together.” –Yael Bartana
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UNUS MUNDUS, UNA GENS, UNUS DISCO

Feature: E.D.L (English Disco Lovers)

With such pieces titled How to Escape an Art Exhibition and The Count in which as soon as the viewer enters the gallery is right away ten counted out of it by a Boxing referee and then ousted by a burly bouncer, Demelza Watts isn’t going to be your average artist. In fact, you may even wonder if you’re actually in an art exhibition at all. Demelza plays with your expectations of a gallery, creating these socially engaging and time based situational pieces that you may or may not see or even realize you’re a part of.
Her Waiting Room Art, demonstrates this perfectly, several islands of a waiting room greets you at the entrance of the gallery, carpeted, with chairs and potted plants and several people sitting, waiting, but doing absolutely nothing, which also welcomes the idea of waiting as an endurance test. I don’t know the last time I sat at the doctors without fidgeting nervously with one bland magazine or another, but this uncanny scene of people waiting without such restlessness, suddenly makes you question this reality that’s been set up in front of you, you’ll have one eye on it for the rest of the exhibition so you can see immediately the slightest change in the sitters. Your gran might even rest her weary legs without noticing shes a performance artist.
Demleza’s work is at the Wimbledon College of Art Degree Show till 22nd June
For her website click <a href="https://cargocollective.com/demelzawatts">HERE</a>.
Examples of her work are below
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<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/67084311" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" title="Time After Time" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

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Artist Profile: Demelza Watts

From the stand out primary colour scheme with stunning blues, reds and yellows to even Duval himself, often sporting his signature handmade bow ties, his ‘uniform’ if you will, this London based artist plays what it means to recognise and associate. Along with music and language, Duval plays with our ties to cultural identity but through a global branding and advertising path. Theres that purple on a Cadburys wrapper, that blue which greets us on Facebook. Sooner or later there’ll be that colour that will immediately signal a ‘Duval Timothy’ a mile away. I’m looking forward to it.
For Duval’s website click <a href="https://officialduvaltimothy.tumblr.com/">HERE</a>. Examples of his work are below
Duval also co directs THE GROUNDNUT along with friends Folayemi Brown and Jacob Todd. A part-time restaurant and food project. The food served draws inspiration from their collective heritage from: England, Ghana, Nigeria, Sierra Leone & South-Sudan.
For more information and to buy tickets click <a href="https://www.thegroundnut.co.uk/THE_GROUNDNUT/HOME.html">HERE</a>.
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				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/arsenal'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Arsenal-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Arsenal-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Arsenal-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Arsenal-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl> <dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/bow-tie-for-corbusier'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-tie-for-Corbusier-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-tie-for-Corbusier-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-tie-for-Corbusier-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-tie-for-Corbusier-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
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				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/bow-tie'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-Tie-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-Tie-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-Tie-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Bow-Tie-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/eulb-hguorob'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/EULB-HGUOROB-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/EULB-HGUOROB-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/EULB-HGUOROB-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/EULB-HGUOROB-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl> <dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/i-know-we-are-but-what-am-i'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/I-know-we-are-but-what-am-I-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/I-know-we-are-but-what-am-I-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/I-know-we-are-but-what-am-I-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/I-know-we-are-but-what-am-I-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/jacob'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Jacob-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Jacob-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Jacob-300x300.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Jacob-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22626-artist-profile-duval-timothy/attachment/traum-bow-ties'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Traum-Bow-Ties-150x150.jpg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Traum-Bow-Ties-150x150.jpg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Traum-Bow-Ties-100x100.jpg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl> 
		</div>

Artist Profile: Duval Timothy

Sometimes we forget that photojournalism isn’t just paparazzi waiting outside hotels to catch celebrities in compromising situations.  Arvor is a collective of 40 Press and Editorial graduates from Falmouth University. The photographs exhibited are painfully realistic  shots of poignant contemporary issues, rigorously researched, that might have otherwise escaped our attention. From uncovering a lesser-known Amish community in Ireland, to delving into the psychology of musical tribute acts, all investigations are dealt with respect, tact and elegance.
Arvor will be holding a summer festival to exhibit their work in Falmouth until the 23rd June.
For those who aren’t in the West Country, check out each photographers stunning portfolio on their website <a href="https://arvor.weservesites.co.uk/">HERE</a>.
..and some examples below.

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				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/kosovo-forgotten-but-not-gone'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://localhost:8888/uploads/2013/06/Alexander-Walker-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Alexander-Walker-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Alexander-Walker-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Alexander-Walker-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Alexander-Walker-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/amy-whalley'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Amy-Whalley-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Amy-Whalley-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Amy-Whalley-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Amy-Whalley-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Amy-Whalley-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/benjamin-rutherford-documentary'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Benjamin-Rutherford-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Benjamin-Rutherford-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Benjamin-Rutherford-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Benjamin-Rutherford-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Benjamin-Rutherford-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
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				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/not-the-beatles'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/India-Whiley-Morton-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/India-Whiley-Morton-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/India-Whiley-Morton-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/India-Whiley-Morton-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/India-Whiley-Morton-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
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				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/5a'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Mary-Robinson-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Mary-Robinson-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Mary-Robinson-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Mary-Robinson-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Mary-Robinson-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/village-life-a-portrait-of-stithians'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Nia-Collier-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Nia-Collier-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Nia-Collier-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Nia-Collier-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Nia-Collier-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/rory-matthews'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Rory-Matthews-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Rory-Matthews-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Rory-Matthews-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Rory-Matthews-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Rory-Matthews-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl><dl class='gallery-item'>
			<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>
				<a href='https://localhost:8888/arts/22466-artist-profile-arvor/attachment/amish-mennonite-women-in-church'><img width="150" height="150" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Anders-Haugland-Pederson-150x150.jpeg" class="attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail" alt="" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Anders-Haugland-Pederson-150x150.jpeg 150w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Anders-Haugland-Pederson-300x300.jpeg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Anders-Haugland-Pederson-600x600.jpeg 600w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Anders-Haugland-Pederson-100x100.jpeg 100w" sizes="(max-width: 150px) 100vw, 150px" /></a>
			</dt></dl> 
		</div>

Artist Profile: Arvor

‘You’d be surprised how expensive it is to look this cheap.’ Was the most flamboyant artwork I saw in 2012. This massive gleaming structure of sparkle filled with the pinkest inflatable flamingos and twinkling floor tiles dazzle the senses and turns anyone and everyone into a squealing little girl as soon as a step is taken inside.
Amy Exton’s work is not what it loudly says on the shiniest tin. With the flashy first impression comes some intriguing aesthetic, contextual and textural associations to some prominent tinsel based practices.
The use of polished and reflective materials to surround an object or figurine to highlight its significance has been a go-to exhibiting method for hundreds of years, and has been used for religious idols standing in an alcove laden with light and shiny flecks to Elvis standing on a stage sporting rhinestone covered suits. Amy has exploited contemporary art’s attachment to exclusivity to bring integrity back to these tasteless materials and elevate them back to a status that they are and can be seen in all over the world. Coupled with this more serious note, the lasting sense of fun and entertainment is also injected into the installation, you can’t help but feel inexplicably happy when surrounded by a glitzy décor. They don’t call Las Vegas ‘America’s Playground’ for nothing.
For Amy’s website click <a href="https://www.amyexton.com/">HERE</a>.
Alongside her artistic endeavours, Amy is also planning to launch a furniture design label Glittergunz. We’ll definitely be keeping our eyes peeled for that.
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<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/22335-artist-profile-amy-exton/attachment/screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16-46-43/" rel="attachment wp-att-22339"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-22339" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.43.png" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.43.png 881w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.43-300x200.png 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.43-50x33.png 50w" sizes="(max-width: 881px) 100vw, 881px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/22335-artist-profile-amy-exton/attachment/screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16-46-57/" rel="attachment wp-att-22341"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-22341" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.57.png" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.57.png 442w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.57-226x300.png 226w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.46.57-38x50.png 38w" sizes="(max-width: 442px) 100vw, 442px" /></a>
 
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/uncategorized/22335-artist-profile-amy-exton/attachment/screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16-47-26/" rel="attachment wp-att-22343"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-22343" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.47.26.png" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.47.26.png 436w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.47.26-220x300.png 220w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/06/Screen-shot-2013-06-04-at-16.47.26-37x50.png 37w" sizes="(max-width: 436px) 100vw, 436px" /></a>

Artist Profile: Amy Exton

Situated in a room looking like something out of an episode of Dexter. Yuseff Hu, tired and probably nauseous, staggers round the room full of nervously laughing spectators, preparing for each stage of his performance, Resting on a sharp point. 2013
The task executed is to spear what looks like massive carcass sacks filled with balloons pumped full of ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard and brown sauce. The oozing condiments leak into a bucket placed below this hoisted pack and the artist, gagging and shaking, ingests this readymade burger sauce before repeating the whole process five times.
I’ve always had a strong stomach, but this tested me. A piece of art that could induce nausea to this degree definitely deserves a mention. I will take my hat off to anyone who could sit through the full 47 minutes.
For Yussef’s website Click <a href="https://yussefhu.com/Resting-on-a-Sharp-Point">HERE</a>.
The documented performance will be on at the Slade BA/BFA Degree Show until the 23rd May.
For more information Click <a href="https://www.ucl.ac.uk/slade/degree2013/">HERE</a>.
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<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/21980-artist-profile-yussef-hu/attachment/yuseff-hu4/" rel="attachment wp-att-21983"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21983" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu4.jpg" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu4.jpg 2048w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu4-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu4-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu4-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/21980-artist-profile-yussef-hu/attachment/yuseff-hu5/" rel="attachment wp-att-21984"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21984" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu5.jpg" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu5.jpg 2048w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu5-300x199.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu5-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseff-hu5-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></a>
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/21980-artist-profile-yussef-hu/attachment/yuseffhu6/" rel="attachment wp-att-21985"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21985" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu6.jpg" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu6.jpg 2048w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu6-300x200.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu6-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu6-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></a>
 
<a href="https://admin.crackintheroad.com/arts/21980-artist-profile-yussef-hu/attachment/yuseffhu8/" rel="attachment wp-att-21987"><img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-21987" alt="" src="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu8.jpg" srcset="https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu8.jpg 2048w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu8-300x199.jpg 300w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu8-1024x680.jpg 1024w, https://api.crackintheroad.com/images/2013/05/yuseffhu8-50x33.jpg 50w" sizes="(max-width: 2048px) 100vw, 2048px" /></a>

Artist Profile: Yussef Hu

Its been like getting blood from a stone when trying to get the skinny on the ideas behind Joe Evans‘s work. Until I received an email the other day, offering no explanation apart from a request to use this quote in the article.
 “Sometimes he wondered what zone of transit he himself was entering, sure that his own withdrawal was symptomatic not of a dormant schizophrenia, but of a careful preparation for a radically new environment, with its own internal landscape and logic, where old categories of thought would merely be an encumbrance.” -The Drowned World, J.G Ballard
I had to dig for my answers. I’ve never read The Drowned World, but what I gathered from a quick google is that the story explores the collective unconscious, a <a href="https://www.bahaistudies.net/asma/The-Concept-of-the-Collective-Unconscious.pdf">Jungian</a> theory which ‘collects and organizes those personal experiences in a similar way with each member of a particular species.’ This makes for an interesting and unexpected take on Joe’s VJing, as we are all at mercy to the collective unconscious as soon as our wrists are stamped at the entrance to a club.
This is interesting to learn as we edge ever nearer to CitR Live #002. With every month, we’re unpicking our concepts and motives behind putting on our monthly showcases. Aiming to form collective experiences and feelings through our carefully selected artists and musicians, to create occurrences that change from one month to the next.
I treated myself to an hour long eyeball massage with Joe’s compilation of work that he’s done over the past two years, An impressive feat, and it shows how much his visuals have developed over such a short amount of time. Enjoy. We’ll all be at his mercy come the 30th.
<iframe width="500" height="375" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hTebNHSDmog?feature=oembed" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Artist Profile: Joe Evans

Charlotte Cousins’s work picks apart our emotional attachment to objects. We all have that little box tucked away in our wardrobes with little sentimentalities that remind us of our childhood and family. These small triggers of memory may seem mundane to others, but I for one would save that box from a fire above anything else.
What is it that makes us connect with them? When trawling through antique shops you can stumble on memorabilia from decades before, and these personal histories become shared, you can pick one photo out of a box of one hundred because it applies to you in some way, a private story can be linked objectively without ever having to know the truth, as its part of your story from then on.
Charlotte’s interest lies with why these objects would be disregarded in the first place, an object that would’ve once been kept safe is now readily available for us modern day punters to buy and take home. Charlotte has got a vast collection of these keepsakes, photographs and films, which she reworks into still and moving collages, often removing the personal aspects of them such as faces, so we can actively partake in the history of these archival objects, but also tie in our own stories. The care in which she takes in adapting these already delicate remembrances and the aesthetic fragility of her pieces makes me want to take and store them for another twenty years in my little shoebox hidden in the wardrobe.
I look forward to seeing her films and Phoria’s music side by side at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/events/503640323024237/?fref=ts">CitR Live #002</a> In fact have a little taster. Click <a href="https://soundcloud.com/phoriamusic">HERE</a> for more Phoria and watch Charlotte’s film below at the same time!
Charlotte is working on a new website, in the meantime check out her blog <a href="https://charlottecousins01.tumblr.com/">HERE</a>.
Also, stay tuned for her article tomorrow here on CitR.
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/57533484" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" title="Untitled" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

Artist Profile: Charlotte Cousins

Take a few minutes out of your day today to lose yourself in N1C.
You may or may not know, Kings Cross’s redevelopment is well underway, leaving its checkered red light district past behind to make space for a newer, more polished business friendly area. It started with the new multi-million pound Central St. Martins campus, and will go on for the next five years, with new constructions getting built everyday.
Mir Gwilliam-Parkes’s focus on this area actually opens up our eyes to the changing landscape that’s occurring right in front of us, whether its in London, or across the country.
The photographs are of particular views in the area that can change within a matter of days let alone a year. You quickly realize, that none of these scenes can ever be captured again, but thanks to Mir, they are now immortalized in 35mm. As well as commenting on how fast our country is changing, and how the future is coming! it also lends itself nicely to the never ending conversation about the transition from analogue to digital photography, its not the main focus of the project, but just as the photographs are concise and selective, you can tell that there is a great deal of care taken with all of Mir’s decision making. The onset of the project was about familiarizing herself with the area, using photography as a research tool to set herself in the scene of the new campus, and it has turned into a elegant way of waking us up to our surroundings. There is nothing flippant about her approach, and I have a tremendous amount of respect for that, as its all too easy to be swept away in the current of the city, with changes assembling so subtly around us, that we barely notice until its too late.
My favourite is the only untitled photograph and this articles feature image. Its of a building that I have never seen before, nor know of its use, but its beautifully considered composition transported me out of London, whilst also being painfully aware that it is in fact Kings Cross, and that there’s no way that I’d be able to pinpoint where that view is now, or ever again.
As well as being exhibited at the Central St. Martins Degree show from the 25th May, N1C will also be shown in the Kings Cross Archive Project in the Granary Square building from the 20th May, in which the Kings Cross archive has invited artists to submit work that has been created in response to the new site.
For Mir’s website click <a href="https://www.mirgwilliam-parkes.com/">HERE</a>.
For more details about the KX Archive Project click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/KxArchiveProject">HERE</a>.
AND for more details about the Central St. Martins Degree Show (of which I’ll be covering over the next few weeks as well as the other degree shows in London) Click <a href="https://www.csmfineart2013.com/">HERE</a>.

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Artist Profile: Mir Gwilliam-Parkes

It’s the side splitting humour that initially hooks you in to Dante Rendle Traynor’s work, upon browsing the Internet, I see an image of a bald man with a shaving foam beard and I’m sold. He has an intriguing voice and has a little art for everyone. Little did I know that this is all a clever ruse in order for me to scrutinise some artwork. I did, repeatedly, just as the bald man said.
The matter of how we view art has been hanging over our heads for decades, but as we come to what I perceive as the latter half of the conceptual movement, things are beginning to change. As the numbers of artists and galleries continue to grow, I wonder what it is that actually draws our attention amongst his information overload we find ourselves in as the future of art draws near. Several artists and curators are now taking new approaches to show art in countless different lights. I for one am extremely intrigued by these new projects. Though all of these different endeavours beg the question. How do we entice our audience?
Traynor’s flawless presentation skills seem to be the primary medium of his work. Whether it’s the spangliest looking experimental lounge act I’ve ever seen: The Golden Boys, a half an hour radio show discussing the definition of ‘cheese’ (not the one you’re thinking of!) or an improvised performance on a white cardboard piano. You’ll come out the other side having learnt something you might’ve not considered before. Which is the point of art, right?
His practice seems to incur the more traditional methods viewing artwork. See it first, think about it later, but using today’s hyper modern imagery that we’re all drawn to like magpies.
Dante and The Golden Boys will be luring audiences to an evening of performances; Traces of Action/ Creation of Acts at Parasol Unit on the 2nd May 2013
For more information about Traces of Action click <a href="https://www.parasol-unit.org/traces-of-action-creation-of-acts">HERE</a>.
For more of Dante’s work click <a href="https://www.danterendletraynor.com/index.html">HERE</a>.
OMG its the bald guy! Something for Everyone, 2011
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/39527952" width="500" height="281" frameborder="0" title="Something For Everyone (extract), Dante Rendle Traynor, 2011" webkitallowfullscreen mozallowfullscreen allowfullscreen></iframe>

Artist Profile: Dante Rendle Traynor

These collages from Cardiff based illustrator Stephen Madoc Pierce initially, seem quite bright and optimistic, but in fact come with quite a dark undertone. In an interview with Cardiff School of Art, he expresses his desire to create a feeling of the ‘uncanny’, taking inspiration from this Freudian concept to give an extra depth to his work, and a feeling of uncertainty for his audience as they approach them. I’m looking forward to seeing more from this young Welshman.
For more information about Stephen’s work, and the full interview with Cardiff School of Art click <a href="https://https://madoc.tumblr.com/">HERE</a>.

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Artist Profile: Stephen Madoc Pierce

Oh Wow! It is SO beautiful in London today. I’m writing this at five in the afternoon and it still looks like midday. I’m picturing the summer in my head, the long evenings sitting in a park just after work drinking Pimms and eating peaches, because peaches will be in season again! Peaches can be IN the Pimms..
I could go on, but instead let me draw your attention the real reason why summers on my mind, instead of whining on stereotypically about the weather and the goddamn Pimms.
The French artist Laure Prouvost has just won the Max Mara Art Prize for Women, and her two part installation inspired by a residency in Italy, explores and transports to London the rich and sumptuous delights of this incredibly sensuous country. This exhibition is on at the Whitechapel Gallery till the 7th April, so catch it if you can during its last five days.
If you didn’t have summer fever before seeing Swallow (2013) you definitely will after having been seduced by this lushly shot film.
Click <a href="https://www.whitechapelgallery.org/exhibitions/max-mara-art-prize-for-women-laure-prouvost">HERE</a> to see the film and for more information.
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Exhibition: Laure Prouvost

Set up in a disused shop in Finsbury Park, until the 13th May artist collective Light Eye Mind are offering the UK’s first Light Experience Salon.
The Lucia Light Simulator was developed by psychologist Dr. Engelbert Winkler and neurologist Dr. Dirk Proekl over a year ago, for what purpose is unknown, but how fortunate that this simulator of which there are only 30 in the world, managed to work its way into the possession of three London based artists, who are introducing this stunning piece of science into an artistic context for all to see. Before I even attempt to explain what I saw, this next paragraph explains how it works, I’m no good at fluffing scientific jargon, so I got this straight from the horses mouth.
The Hypnagogic Light Machine generates computer controlled light through the use of a Halogen lamp at the centre of 8 flickering (stroboscopic) white LED’s. When shone a short distance from your face with your eyes closed, the different frequencies of flickering light generate a unique response in your own mind, producing a combination of intense colours and ever changing shapes.
Its absurd the number of attempts I’ve made trying to start this sentence, its almost impossible to describe what I saw, it would be completely unlike what anyone else would see, or even what I would see again upon returning to the salon. The patterns, colours and movements are influenced by everything about your present bodily state in that moment, whether you’re tired or hungry, your mood, even your breathing rate can affect what you see and how you see it.
After the 3 minutes I sat with the light -which was paired with some hand picked ambient Trance music I might add- I was brought into the back room, had a cup of tea and a chat with the guys to reflect on what had just occurred. I also got to hear about other participants’s reactions. I was particularly intrigued by this as I’m normally fascinated by the conversations that bounce off an artwork, by the sounds of things it seemed that as much as others came out feeling excited that they took part, and expressed how they felt, everyone in fact naturally skirted the issue of what visuals they actually saw, which is the artwork itself, created by the individual, and only visible to that individual. You couldn’t get more of a Private View if you tried.
For more information about LEM click <a href="https://www.facebook.com/lighteyemind/photos_stream">HERE</a>

Exhibition: Light Eye Mind

Ode to Od is a three minute video with creative writing, performed. A completely frank and sincere piece of prose, veiled by the medium of film.
The found footage of riot scenes that accompany the performed text seem unnecessary, much like the needless violence caused in riots like that, but nevertheless it can only highlight the reasons why a poem can be performed in this way, through the safety of a video.
Som Cunningham is very conscious of his work and the generational behavior that we all seem to have adopted, the ways in which we portray ourselves to others, and the decisions we make during that process to ensure we are who or what we want to be, or don’t want to be for that matter.
Acting as a social mechanism is a driving force behind his work, and his choice of medium in each project represents this interest well.
In our short chat in between discussing layouts and colour palettes for the CitR Live poster, he was apprehensive to fully disclose his motivations behind his practice, which is fair enough as his portfolio does all of the talking. Literally.
Hit play below to watch Ode to Od and for more of Som’s work, head to his website <a href="https://www.somcunningham.com/">HERE.</a>
<iframe src="https://player.vimeo.com/video/57256041" height="375" width="500" allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0"></iframe>

Artist Profile: Som Cunningham

Since 2011, this five piece artist collective from Bristol have already built up a portfolio of exhibitions and installations as long as my arm, and are a very prominent part of Bath and Bristol’s progressive art scene.
Their installations look like how I imagine the storage room of the internet to look. Those bits and pieces of things that normal folk like you and I see and disregard everyday, only to be brought back to our attention in, what can only be described as these urban phantasmagorical sets that even Poison Ivy would be proud to call her lair.
We are very eager to see what they’ve been dreaming up for CitR Live.
Take a ganders at their new website <a href="https://www.madescapes.com/">HERE.</a>
Check out their interview below.
How did you all meet?
WK: wow, just had a deja vu. or was it a glitch in the matrix. I think we might have answered this one before.
THS: Jury duty
LW: We went to university together, Trev was a year or two after us.
THS: MadeScapes had a couple of shows in Bristol in autumn of 2011, System History, and Topographic Translation, which inspired me to write a couple of text pieces. Those two text pieces hit all the right buttons and I was in. So now I write conceptual texts around the work.
How do the focuses of Madescapes^ compare to your individual practices?
THS: MadeScapes is where common strands of our individual practices and interests meet. My own practice as an artist exists purely to answer my curiosities about the world. Included in that is digital culture and all that that implies. In terms of my writing, MadeScapes gives me the freedom to explore ideas that critical texts can’t really get to.
JA: For me it’s an extension of my individual practice. I get to try things out I would not get to do on my own and realise much bigger ideas.
WK: there are elements that relate to all of us individually but I think MadeScapes acts as a playground for us to explore the slightly looser or more distant curiosities that we have in our practices.
TJ: In a way it’s like we all have a kind of bonus practice. I have my own practice with its various lines of enquiry and sort of spectrums of activity, but then there’s this whole bunch of other stuff that I think about and want to engage with or work with in some way. I can’t necessarily slot these things into my own work in a way that works but in the melting pot of the collaborative other practice, elements are all blended and reconfigured into bigger projects or endeavours.
 
Any particular artists that inspire you?
THS: Not really. There are works of art, like John Baldessari’s Pencil Story, or Keith Arnatt’s Notes from Joe and Bed Piece by Felix Gonzales Torres. Inspiration for me comes from everything that isn’t art.
WK: Tay Zonday
TJ: More by the day.
 
What’s your stance on ‘art in the digital age’?
JA: Trial by Fire
THS: It’s what we’re making.
WK: It exists. The digital age has given us more things to talk about and more tools to do it with. So I guess it’s our job to try making sense of it all, or not.
TJ: It pretty much means more of everything. Everyone potentially knows about and sees everything. The futures bright, the futures homogenised.
LW: Like milk.
THS: Asterisk, Homogeneous. Actually, I think usage means homogenised works too.
 
With five of you in the collective, are there any consistent methods you adopt when curating your installations? 
 
TJ: We have developed quite a variety of different strategies for producing the kind of things we are looking for, the work influences and dictates the practicalities, the real stuff going on often means the work changes during the course of the installation.
WK: A lot of the basic elements that we select to build a show are pre-planned but I think what we have learned above all else is to be as flexible as possible. The gallery space also acts as a studio during the install. Ideas are tested. Some make it, some don’t.
JA: We just kind of go for it, we all now have a pretty similar idea of how we want things to look. We like to work with each space to put work into a space.
 
The aesthetics at your installations are in no ways ‘sparse’, with art work made by yourselves displayed alongside countless found objects, how do you strike a balance so your ‘hand made works’ avoid getting lost in the crowd?
JA: We work everything together, to make a whole, so lack of ownership is a given in our shows at present.
WK: The Installations are meticulously composed and the components have to work together. I don’t think I really see a difference in terms of the whole between a ‘made’ object and a ‘found’ one. They are all equal elements. Some shows and titles naturally bring certain thinks forward where as others might push them back.
TJ: It varies a lot from project to project but there’s always an underlying agenda for the show which invariably gets discussed and argued out, blending with the various clashing and harmonising parts of our individual taste or intentions.
 
What are your plans for 2013?
WK: More art, all the time, everywhere, right now!
LW: Outside of Crack in the Road we have a show in Bath at the minute, a kind of pre-show to our next big one, Trawler, at Motorcade/FlashParade in Bristol, and we’ll be in Stroud as part of Site Festival in May – another installation performance piece is on the cards for that one!
TJ: Trawling
THS: And trolling.