The Time Machine that is Landscape
Four disciplines, four interpretations, one place.
The sensorial delight of the Cornish landscape is brought to London by four artists in an uniquely immersive experience. This multi-disciplinary exhibition combines painting, digital sonic and video footage simultaneously created in the same spot.
New work by:
Robert Clarke
Stewart Rainbow
Julie Freeman
Karen McCarthy
at
The Curators Space, 47 Great Eastern Street, London, EC2A 3HP
Private View: 6-8pm Thursday 15th December
16 December 2005 - 21 January 2006. Wednesday to Friday 12 - 4 pm
To view outside gallery hours email Julie or Rob
With thanks to Arra Venton, a Landmark Trust building
Download press release: (PDF 348k) (Word Doc 128k)
The sensorial delight of the Cornish landscape is brought to London by four artists in an uniquely immersive experience. The multi-disciplinary exhibition, The time machine that is landscape which combines painting, digital sonic and video footage simultaneously created in the same spot, will be shown at The Curator's Space, 47 Great Eastern Street, London from 15 December to 23 January 2006.
Rob Clarke, a semi-abstract, semi-figurative landscape and human form painter, invited three colleagues to bring additional disciplines of sound and moving image to his work for this project. Together they immersed themselves in the North Cornish landscape for four autumnal days, documenting the environment through their individual working practices across day and night.
Julie Freeman, a digital and sonic artist, who uses technology to explore and expose the natural systems and hidden 'worlds', captured the Cornish soundscape to complement Rob Clarke's painterly imagery and the video shot by Stewart Rainbow, whose footage reinterprets the rugged landscape exploring what can really be seen using the singularity of the medium.
The premise of the work, The time machine that is landscape, is deceptively simple; four perspectives, four disciplines, four interpretations of one place - the view from the Landmark Trust's Arra Venton property in Porthmoer. The North Cornish landscape, where giants throw rocks and people are mere specks upon the inhospitable earth, reveals itself as an organic time-machine - moving, shouting and asleep. The four artists interpretations record a moment in the life of the landscape and have been intricately entwined to make a fully rounded sensorial view within the gallery space.
In the exhibition, Julie Freeman's exquisite momentary recordings are embedded within and around the paintings, while Stewart Rainbow's video is projected in a slow moving panning scan across the walls, intersecting with Rob Clarke's paintings periodically - bringing together sound, video and paint together in unison.
Karen McCarthy’s haiku’s from the same site dot the walls and intensify the remotely re-enacted atmosphere. Her poems another interpretation of the changing landscape.
For a painting to emit sound, for a moving image to project onto a still life, for all these elements to come together all three artists are pushing the boundaries of their given field and artistic process.
The Porthmoer landscape is enchantingly atmospheric, through the dense mist every sound was amplified while sight is foreshortened. Julie's selective recordings introduce an abstract yet intrusive quality, while Stewart was intrigued to discover that Rob was able to 'see' and paint views that he couldn't film until hours later. It was as if the eye could see before the camera could capture the views.
The work also explores ideas about weather as land and sky are tempered by mist, sun and shade to create intense colours - unexpectedly unnatural hues like lime greens and purples. Together they reveal a landscape that is alive, shouting, groaning, dancing.
All works will be for sale.
The Landmark Trust is a building preservation charity that rescues and restores architecturally interesting and historic buildings at risk, giving them a future by letting them for self-catering holidays. Once a building becomes a Landmark its holiday rental income pays for its upkeep but money to save other buildings at risk has to be found elsewhere.
Arra Venton is one of three Landmark Trust buildings situated in Lower Porthmeor, a farm hamlet or township typical of the area of West Penwith, Cornwall. The farm was bought by the Landmark Trust in conjunction with the National Trust after it had been derelict for some years.
Full details of all 183 Landmark Trust buildings are available in the 40 th anniversary edition of the Landmark Trust Handbook, price £11.00 including post and packing, refundable against the first booking. Telephone 01628-825925 or online at www.landmarktrust.org.uk .
