list.co.uk/festival
P H O T O :
I
K E T H H U N T E R
Reviews | F E S T I VA L V I S UA L A R T
P H O T O
: L U C Y W A Y M A N
CORIN SWORN: HABITS OF ASSEMBLY Human bodies and technology intertwine ●●●●●
CAROLINE ACHAINTRE, ADAM BENMAKHLOUF AND LUCY WAYMAN Trio exhibit across sculpture workshop ●●●●● DERRICK GUILD: EVER AFTER Cabinet of curiosities for the post-modern, digital world ●●●●●
The usually bright and airy sculpture court at Edinburgh College of Art feels almost claustrophobic, as it hosts this new commission by Corin Sworn. A metal structure houses video and sound pieces: one depicts two performers in near-darkness, their silhouettes illuminated only slightly by their white outfits as they perform their respective sequences, and the accompanying sound flickers between classical music and white noise. The second depicts the same two performers in a well-lit room where their movements are clear, and the sound is heightened; even their footsteps can be heard. The whole viewing experience is highly sensory and jars at points; what looks like a synchronised dance routine suddenly resembles a scratched DVD each time the performers break the fluidity of their movements.
The centre of the structure is a conversation between two people about tasks and roles. The performers in the videos can be seen to embody this notion; undertaking a task (their movements), and their roles are changed by the absence/presence of certain technologies (light, sound) which is something Sworn is intrigued by; the intertwined nature of technology and the human body. (Arabella Bradley) n Edinburgh College of Art, until 25 Aug, free.
As part of Edinburgh Art Festival, three artists have been commissioned to place their work in and around the Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop site, with the most traditionally gallery-specific one being that of London-based European artist Caroline Achaintre.
Achaintre’s 'Encounter L.' series is housed in the white cube alongside the courtyard and in the outside space, a series of mask-like wall hangings in ceramic and bronze which imitate strange alien faces in their crumpled but very individual forms. Outside, the same style is recreated on a grand scale with ‘Echo Peel’, a large, colourful hanging fabric made from woven raffia.
Recent Glasgow School of Art graduate Adam Benmakhlouf’s ‘The Noise of Making Spills Over’ is an audio piece located in the base of ESW’s landmark tower, broadcasting the disembodied sound of the studio’s schools and community engagement up into the air. Meanwhile, Edinburgh- based Lucy Wayman’s ‘Clovehitch’ on the cycle path nearby is a waymarker amid the trees, a woven sheet of marine rope which hints at the area’s history. (David Pollock) n Edinburgh Sculpture Workshop, until 25 Aug, free.
Few contemporary artists are as tenacious in their engagement with the history of the art as Derrick Guild – or as inventive. His varied practice includes drawing and painting, found objects and film, but this show focuses entirely on painting. With considerable skill, he references directly painters such as Velazquez, Raeburn and Batoni, using them to pose his own set of questions. The title work in Ever After is a sequence of 40 miniature paintings in ornate oval frames, details reproduced from classic portraits: an eye, a pair of parted lips, a pearl earring, a row of buttons. Clusters of miniatures are linked by fine gold chain. Other works create trompe l’oeuil effects such as folded paper. A goldfinch, straight out of Fabritius, perches on a crust of bread next to two dead bumble bees.
Perhaps Guild is interrogating the fragmentary nature of how we understand the past, breaking things down into pieces in order to analyse them, or questioning the ideologies which lie behind these works. Whatever his intention, he is taking on the greats at their own game – the creation of beautiful illusion – and proving he is up to the task. (Susan Mansfield) n Scottish Gallery, until 24 Aug, free.
P H O T O
:
S A L L Y J U B B P H O T O G R A P H Y
PLATFORM Edinburgh Art Festival’s showcase of new talent ●●●●●
What’s most striking about Platform is the juxtaposition created through viewing contemporary artworks in an old space; an effect which is mirrored by the works on display, which reflect on the past while also contemplating the present. The exhibition presents four artists whose work is an eclectic mix, ranging across video, sculpture and printmaking. Anna Danielewicz’s work consists of a set of different sized chairs resembling those in the age-old Goldilocks tale, inviting visitors to sit and listen to her story Voun Town (about a fictional landfill settlement inhabited by non- human persons) through headphones, or to read a printed copy. Suds McKenna’s sculptures represent grotesque human forms, which could have been selected from the hoards of people depicted in his three prints in the show. The prints nod to the past while also commenting on society today, as they have an uncanny resemblance and function to caricatures by the Dada artist Georg Grosz. Harry Maberly’s videos 'It’s me, I’m Cathy!' (2017) and 'Babooshka' (2019) see the artist take on the persona of Kate Bush by recreating her videos for ‘Wuthering Heights’ (1978) and ‘Babooshka’ (1980), serving as a humorous exploration of fandom with a more serious undertone, questioning how far people will go to embody their idols. Joanne Dawson’s wooden room divider is both a functional and aesthetic object which embodies both contemporary and traditional craft. A fantastic opportunity to see new works by emerging Scottish artists in a wonderful space. (Arabella Bradley) n The Fire Station at Edinburgh College of Art, until 25 Aug, free.
14–26 Aug 2019 THE LIST FESTIVAL 95