Celebrate Susan Hiller!

It was my pleasure last week to go to the opening at Tate Britain of Susan Hiller's show. This wonderful showcase of the talent of an artist whom inspired me over a decade ago with her work in the Material Culture show at the Hayward Gallery. For 2 years whilst at college in Australia I had used a book called The Myth Of Primitivism edited by Susan Hiller. At the time I had no idea that she was also an artist, so was thrilled when the connection was made at the Hayward exhibition when my favourite work in the show turned out to be by her. From The Freud Museum is a truly inspired body of work, whereby 50 custom made anthropological collecting boxes are filled with items both found, made, antiqued and assembled by the artist. The talk at the Hayward was where I finally had my chance to meet her and ask if I could conduct an interview about the work for my final dissertation for my BA. She agreed as long as my questions were good enough. Fair enough I thought and got to work.

The result of which earned me a distinction, so I guess it was ok. I focused my energy on only 3 of the boxes which were so laden with meaning I couldn't have possibly done the whole piece. Her work focused on the things in Freud's house (now The Freud Museum) that weren't catalogued. Freud obsessively catalogued anything and almost everything that came into the house, from cutlery to art and kept detailed records. In finding things, objects and curios that had not made it onto the list Hiller began her work to construct her major work, which is now part of the Tate's permanent collection.

This work is only a fraction of what is on show. Witness is an amazing installation, with hundreds of speakers hanging from the ceiling casting UFO-like shadows on the walls. Each speaker has been stripped back to its bare necessities to form the right shape for the shadow. I first saw this at The Chapel and the use of the chapel set the scene and atmosphere beautifully. The next best thing is the Tate installation. Experiences of UFO's from all around the world are played through the speakers. Walking through it is a dreamy experience.

Talking of dreamy experiences, Dream Screens is proof of how ahead of her time Hiller is. Go to the link and click on the screen at different points, it changes colour as the narration plays. Bearing in mind this was done in 1996! This is not in the show and is fully interactive. So if you don't make it to Tate Britain by May 15th (and there are few excuses for this) dip into Hiller's work from the comfort of your own computer.

2011 starts with a BIG bang!

It's all began with a Big BANG!
Then we came along and made it all about Big Bucks!
Yes you've guessed it, the title of our next show: 'Big Bangs, Big Bucks' with the artists Geoffrey H. Short and Nikolai Ischuck.

Power & beauty are themes shared by both artists. We find ourselves drawn to both with a mixture of fascination & fear. The danger presented by each of these is felt acutely this moment in history - with wars raging & economies collapsing around us - no one feels safe or secure. The threat of terrorism just around the next street corner (or so the media & politicians would like us to believe) looms large. Money (or lack thereof) has caused untold damage to countries & individuals alike. Yet despite this, we want it. It may be said that those who think that money can't buy happiness don't know where to shop, but without it there is guaranteed suffering.

The urge to just blast it all away with something destructive & frivolous - like a new pair of shoes or a sparkly camera, sex, drugs, rock 'n' roll - has a freeing quality all of its own. The abandon that come with irresponsible behaviour has its own benefits (albeit short-lived) of freeing the soul to indulge in pure pleasure for pleasures sake. This is where Short's images take us. Looking into those enormous explosions in the sky take you up into the clouds & far away from the everyday stresses & strains of life. 'Don't play with fire', 'don't get your fingers burnt'. Wise words indeed, but better still let Geoffrey Short do it for you & relish the results! I find myself lost in the terrifying beauty of the flames, knowing the danger they represent, but finding them insatiably attractive all the same.

Nikolai Ischuck's Big Bucks reveal the inherent beauty of not only the intricate design of currency, but also of the notes as objects themselves. The scuffed edges discloses that they have passed through many hands, creating a map of its life so far akin to the lines in our own faces, they tell stories without words. The hundred trillion Zimbabwean Dollar note (no longer in circulation) has a hole in the bottom right corner. This hole may have happened as a result of general wear & tear, yet the fact it ever existed at all speaks volumes regarding the terrifying levels of inflation that occurred leading to its production in the first place.

There is a lot to write about this work, I have only scratched the surface but will return to explore the works by both artists in further blogs. They have just gone up on the walls, so I can now get to know them on a more personal level each day. As with all great art, the relationship that is struck between the work & the viewer can only be developed through repeated viewing. And this is what I intend to do.