2015

During the last year I've found my practice move almost completely out of what would be called 'art' so it's been difficult to proceed with this blog mainly because of having to rethink everything. There have been however so many events, where it has been important to use drawing, painting, performance and talking sculptures.  The political events and  complete ratcheting up of the war on ordinary people has called for many interventions and work with courageous people.

Painting banner for Aylesbury Estate, a huge Estate in London Which is threatened with demolition despite 73% of Tenants voting against it. In this work and other banners people were invited to take part in the painting, and discussion took place about the form and images which the place and circumstance and people gave birth to. 

INTENSIFICATION IN THE PUDDING FACTORY

Intensification in the pudding Factory was performed within Portman Gallery a space existing within the foyer of a state school. The performance was shot by Alexander Mc Clean

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UQFFBOTIBcc&list=UU8VSKnT2gkqvBAT2Sd9VWew

CONVOLUTED FAIR GROUND

Coming Up -Sunday June 8th 2014: Ghost Dwelling Express, masks and talking carved wood furniture. Performance Space, 2pm-4pm. FREE. 

See- MADD for Brockwell Park 2014 – Community Events Programme Announced click on this link for location details.

                     

     Masks in the Dark House                                                                                           Photo Charlie Fox

and see below for some past encounters------Scroll on down  

                                                                                              V                                                                            

                                     

GHOST TRAIN TO SOULS TOWN- Domestic fragments answer back

Common objects and experiences for everyone! 

A ruinous ghost train.

A working ghost train in which people were wheeled into a space containing many carved tools and domestic fragments and a film in which they came alive. 
You can view the film here-click on link

THOSE WHOSE SOULS RESIST REPOSSESSION

*Ghost Train to Souls Town- -... 'been thinking about it quite a bit since in relation to what we talked about spectacle/art etc - I think it was weird because when I turned up I was still thinking about the Olympics opening ceremony the night before. I've already had an argument about that with someone giving me a remedial explanation of 'spectacle' (I hate a certain type of moralising/left perspective where it is  assumed everyone must be an idiot and can't work out for themselves that the Olympics ceremony is a big propaganda event). But what interested me about Boyle's olympic thing was that by mixing up representations of the NHS, with sentimentailised imagery of industrial revelotion, Harry Potter, depiction of multi-culturaism dancing onions and all the other cliches and caricatures it kind of destabilised meanings. IT wasn't subversive in the way Boyle intended (probably) but seemed to show some other potential - a kind of chaos of meaning revealed as potentially liberating - kind of in the way poetry presents a possible chaos/slipping across meanings and linking of usually separated ideas. anyway there was something of that in your show in the way the carved objects reanimated Marx's chair-leg animation of commodity-objects, stealing their social-life from humans-turned-into-objects but then the comodities are reclaimed by the 'craft' of carving, the mark of the hand reinscribed into industrially-lathed wood as a kind of grotesque parody  ... its something about grotesque parody as a kind of liberation/liberatory destabilising humour - as a negation of a negation which leaves everything up for grabs - something like that.' John Russell 

Physical manifestation - Mark It

In this photo Mr Fiend is waking up the dead to get some more work out of them. 'Thump' used to work in a custard cream factory "in my mind I made everyone heart shaped" she says but there was no place for that when they closed the factory and moved it to graze on cheaper labour in 1979. Stella was a receptionist she said, 'they used to like me 'cause i could talk posh' . Ron Barret thinks the others are lazy and poor Traumatised Stewart is still poetic trying to find corners of time to write poetry in a life time of full time work with compulsory-voluntary overtime (C.V). " Look how much I look after you stewart giving you this extra work" Says the Fiend.

Video still from film of the last Saturday matinee performance -the dead are being woken up so more surplus value can be extracted.

All were taken into the dark market traumatised interior regardless.

Ride our racy ghost train to a shadowy, haunted, market traumatised domestic interior.

Encounter stroppy house hold tools that answer back.

Experience altered states in an incubation chamber of horribly alive furniture and see the debut film made by the Manic-ins,

‘Those Whose Souls Refuse Repossession”

            Opens Saturday 28th  6-10pm

then-
Fri. & Sat. 2-10pm,       Sun 2-7pm,    Weds. & Thurs. 2-8pm,   (until Sat 11th August)

115 Dulwich Road, SE24 Opposite Brockwell Park Lido

Andrew Cooper uses craft techniques such as wood carving on objects he finds in skips and charity shops that retain a sense of the uncanny and a history of former use. Bashed peeling paint and exposed wood reveal a common cabal of characters he finds waiting beneath the surface wanting to speak. These sculptures are put into environments he creates, animated in films or used as ‘Manic-ins’ during performances.

'The Fiend' Murdering with a bottle of Abstinence. "Abstinence, it's good for you and it's good for us" Thanks to George who came into the space and took part in several performances. 

Manik-ins Brixton Market and Camberwell Green

Photo of performance in Brixton Market Szabolcs Süli-Zakar

SEEING RED ON THE GREEN

The Manik-ins Speak Out!

Next-Brixton Market 6.30 pm Thursday 14th July

Denied a voice the manik-ins speak out. They really do get locked out or their words deleted.
 Evicted from their flats as the council sells them off to a 'wanna be' mega bucks landlord who is packaging the area as a culturally 'edgy' abode for those that can pay his rents.-not for the likes of the manik-ins.

Photo of performance in Brixton Market Szabolcs Süli-Zakar

THE MUTTERING CAVERN OF DOMESTIC DELIGHTS

At Five Years Gallery

Jul 3 - 18, 2010-

3rd July to 18th July

Opening hours-Saturday-Sunday 1pm-6pm

5 years Gallery Unit 66, 6th Floor, Regent Studios, 8 Andrews Road, E8 4QN.

More info at Five Years Gallery

ROUTINES

MUTTERING CAVERN OF DOMESTIC DELIGHTS

1.00-Keiff to take a stroll along balcony

1.15-3.30-Andrew Cooper to Invigilate

3.30-The Fiend will inspect the property

4.00-Tea with Ron Barret, Stewart and Johnny sweet Apple

5.00-Thump plays the electronic organ

5.10- The Net Curtain walks the balcony

5.20 Stella becomes completely possessed by Maureena Impaler

5.30-Keiff to take a stroll along the balcony

5.45-Thump sweeps up

A slight time slip creates the presence of a future gallery selling work about displaced communities. Stella is catatonic as her body is periodically taken over by Maureena Impaler who will one day inhabit the space.

Film shot of the Muttering Cavern with its inhabitants

(thanks to Dean kenning for filming)

Rabbles Furious Struggle and Performances

Still from footage taken by Judy Watchman

Ron Barret, Stewart and Johnny Sweet Apple took part in Saturday night Cabaret in Brixton Market the Big Window Collective and Winter Rites organised by the Five Years Gallery in East London. They have been answering questions as well as giving their views on the different positions in art and political endarkenment.

 A disused shop provides a home in Brixton Market, for a week. Photo Ash Finch  

Still from footage taken by Judy Watchman

Ron Baret and Stewart wrestle for us all with the vile snake E. Con Money. Brixton Market the Big Window Collective.

 Thump & Fiend in East London-

The Fiend looks out for dissenters

One is found.  

He didn't do it really!

Judy Watchman as Thump

Scape Goats curated by Mark McGowan photos Adrian Holm.

Wooden Arms-Carved from a dumped bed-designed for use in domestic and work settings (see film in post below)