EXHIBITIONS
Platform
10.07.15 - 21.08.15
For the summer show, the gallery moves away from a more familiar exhibition format and takes on a very different look. The idea of Platform is as a site in and around which events take place – a space that is partially activated by the viewer. The shared element of both artworks and events is the transformation of space, the manner in which the familiar becomes altered in a series of unexpected ways. Platform contrasts artworks and the spaces of the gallery in order to reveal something about visual perception and how we encounter different aspects of the world.
Platform will contain three distinct spaces—
In the central top-lit gallery, the walls are cleared and the work moves down to the ground level. Jim Lambie’s The Strokes is a substantial work covering the entire floor of the main gallery (all 250 square metres).The stark black and white rhythmical swirls of Lambie’s work alter perception and adjust the psychological balance of the viewer. The work transforms the viewer experience as well as providing a fascinating contrast to the Victorian terracotta detailing of the gallery’s architecture.
In the film space we will be showing Mark Wallinger’s Construction Site (2011). On a pebbled shore a group of scaffolders assemble a structure until the top is in line with the horizon. It draws the attention and forces the viewer to look in a different way, to become aware of things which might normally be missed. The work is a metaphor for the framing of everyday life and the notion that as a viewer we construct (and sometimes fabricate) our own position.
Finally, in order to also think of Platform as a space in which things might happen, there will be a temporary café and event space for the duration of the show. Events include a symposium with David Batchelor and Janet Wolff, curator talks, film screenings and live music.
Preview: 9 July 18:30–20:30
Platform Café Space
Open 12-4
The Platform Café Space hosts a series of slides selected from Manchester School of Art's Visual Resources Centre. This collection expands on the themes explored in Platform; in this new context, the visitor is invited to engage with work through this alternative approach.
Event Programme
Platform Symposium
Thursday 9th July
4 – 6pm
The symposium will explore themes of colour, visual perception and construction of space in relation to the current show Platform. Speakers: David Batchelor and Janet Wolff. Chaired by Steven Gartside
Koyaanisqatsi Film Screening
Thursday 23rd July
7 – 8.30pm
With no narrative or dialogue, directed by Godfrey Reggio and composed by Philip Glass, this experimental film uses time-lapse imagery to provide an insight into the urban and natural environment, reframing how we see the world and our place within it.
Foxtales Live
Thursday 6th August
7 – 7.45pm
Popular music forms the basis to Jim Lambie's The Strokes installation. As a compliment to this we have live music in the Platform Café Space, with Manchester band Foxtales.
Artist Film Screening
Thursday 20th August
7 – 8.30pm
An evening that brings together a diverse collections of artist films.
Photo by Michael Barrow.
