These pictures came from an Easter email FWD. Thought they were fitting to some of the work we've created (Just the Two of Us, etc). They're also a bit like the sculptures at the Peter Coffin exhibition at the Barbican currently (reviewed on my blog here http://rosatyhurstart.blogspot.com/2009/02/peter-c…)
‘Heave’ Sculpture, Installation and Performance by TURNHURST.
The title alone conjures up a wide ranging line of enquiry – effort, revulsion, humour and ritual to name just a few. What awaits the viewer? Immediately on entering the entering the space the sensory enquiry begins; for the olfactory – there is a strange rubberyness, for the eyes harsh/ dimmed light and a tall cloth draped column made from copper tubing, its top obscured to view. There are a variety of cables, chords and ropes and for the ears a radio paying, rounding up new or weather or some such and then music.
Two individuals appear and busily set about their aim, constantly busy in parallel activity, each attaching a cable to a wall hook, to stretch a cord, straighten cloth undoing and redoing. Each is focused on their individual aim, as if enchanted. As an observer caught up in this web the tension between TurnHurst is tangible. Music holds the space together but also drowns out the pacing of the participant’s actions. This raises the question as to the music’s influence, how would its absence affect the scene?
There is constant movement and struggle, as with performance there is trust, hope anxiety and confusion, and holding all of this together is a complex business.
Here as the cloth moves, shapes come and go doubtless tapping into deeply store templates in viewers mind’s, as if revealing a series of ‘freeze frames.’ I am reminded of the auto destructive work by Gustav Metzger – ‘Acid -Nylon Painting’ as these images come and go.
When the performance ends, after and hour, there is relief and awkwardness: those present have travelled far within the confines of this performance space, something which probably will be lost for those who see this solely as a video documentation.
Performance is difficult to view and to understand as it often takes its viewers to an edge of uncertainty through an awkward place: we have become familiar with reading the still image and so in general feel comfortable. ‘Letting go’ and accompanying performance is not an easy thing to do, here the encounter was well judged and will certainly be remembered by those present.
By way of a post script-
At the end of the 2006 degree show one of the critiquing party commented- with regard to performance work: that viewers need to understand that its OK not to know how to read such work but that the need to be open minded is paramount. His parting shot was ‘ get over the reluctance to engage – be engaged!”
Reviewed by Clare Revolta.
Performance took place on 27th March 2009 in the Bookable Space at Kingston University.
