Saturday, 11 February 2012

words from the void














When I envisioned this collaborative exhibition, I had no idea just how innovative and unique the whole project was.  In effect, my naivety as to the concept, the production, the process and the installation meant that I undersold it, to the point of undervaluing it.
Those who know me, know that I am very down to earth and don’t go for ‘hype’ or unnecessary jargon.  However, in order to highlight the special qualities of this exhibition I’m afraid that I must, as I know that it goes beyond the gallery walls and will actually inspire you on many levels. 
Firstly the fusion between art, theatre, prose, installation is again unique.
It becomes part of a universal debate as to how and why art is presented and it’s raison d’ĂȘtre.  It questions people’s perceptions of art and their participation in it, their connection and involvement; how people engage with text, how they interpret it, as static messages, as statements and how they react to it in a creative form. 
In a gallery setting in general, people expect something to look at in a frame - in effect they are getting this, but it surpasses the frame. The frames are like jigsaw pieces, containing the text, the prose, the key components of the play and the empty frames positioned around the gallery space stand as a metaphor for the play that is not yet finished and not yet performed. It has transcended it’s usual medium, that of the voice and the performance and now the audience, who usually take on a passive role, are invited to give it their own voice as they read the words.  As play shifts from it’s normal venue to gallery, it changes it’s status. It creates it’s own genre and defies classification.  

Behind every piece of writing is a thought process and by providing this raw, all encompassing, enveloping, thought provoking experience, the viewer, the audience, the individual, is taken to another realm.  The text provides escapism through it’s intense dialogue, imagery, rhythms and storytelling element.
This engagement is a unique way of experiencing a play and is indeed a unique experience.
This exhibtion has been extended until 31st March at The Kiln House Gallery
- open weekends only.
Stephen will be performing a first reading of Words from the Void, followed by a discussion and a Q+A session at FYCreatives, Church Street, Blackpool on 
Thursday 15 March, 2012 at 7.15pm. Tickets are available.