Bridges - live improvised performance and sound installation by David de la Haye and James Davoll, Long Gallery, Newcastle University

A live improvised performance by David de la Haye and James Davoll marked the beginning of their month-long sound installation in the Long Gallery in the Fine Art Department at Newcastle University.

David de la Haye and James Davoll have captured fields recordings of the bridges that join Newcastle and Gateshead.

"The iconic bridges are a symbol of home to those living in Newcastle and Gateshead and are embedded in our everyday interactions. These recordings explore how the structures resonate during their daily interaction with the ebb and flow of people, transport and the River Tyne."
                 

             
                                                                                                                                      







As the name suggests, the Long Gallery is a relatively narrow but reasonably sized space. Speakers were positioned in a row down the corridor, each playing a different soundtrack. 

At the beginning of the live improvisation, all speakers down the corridor were switched off, and the sounds manipulated by the David and James were amplified through a set of speakers at the end of the space. Over the course of the performance, David and James switched other speakers on, adding layers of sounds. I particularly enjoyed walking along the corridor and entering different sonic 'zones' as I heard the sounds from each of the speakers separately. This added a spatial element to the installation which I imagine will become more prominent after the preview when there is less noise. Audience members are encouraged to use bespoke controllers on the speakers to set volume levels and create their own unique soundscape.

Cross year exhibition number 4 in the Long Gallery, Newcastle University

The start of this academic year at Newcastle University saw the launch of the cross year exhibition. Every week, one Fine Art student from each year (both Undergraduate and Postgraduate) participate in a group exhibition in the Long Gallery. The group meets on Monday afternoon to discuss the curation of the exhibition. The artists then install their work, and the exhibition opens at 5pm on Monday night. Each Wednesday morning a crit is held in the Long Gallery in which the exhibiting artists, along with anyone else who wishes to join in, discuss the work included in the exhibition. The exhibition is destalled on Wednesday afternoon.

The cross year exhibition is a great way of meeting students from the other years and establishing links with each other. The emphasis is on the artists taking part to organise and curate the exhibition and lead the crits, often without the involvement of staff. The cross year exhibition is a great opportunity to test out work in an gallery setting, without it being too pressurised, and with support.

I presented 2 works, both made from food items such as cereals, marshmallows, liquorice all sorts, crisp breads and the stalks from vine tomato. 

One sculpture was fairly small, and was positioned off-centre on a rather large rectangular white plinth. 

The other taller sculpture was placed on another plinth, the same size, shape and colour as the other plinth used. The larger sculpture was encased in a bell jar, whereas the other sculpture was uncovered. 

I positioned the plinths at opposite ends of the gallery so that each sculpture could be enjoyed in its own right, rather than being in a direct comparison with each other.

I had tried having the smaller sculpture covered by the bell jar (see below), but I felt it was swamped by the jar.

I had also tried positioning the sculpture in the centre of the plinth, but I chose to position it closer to an edge as I thought the sculpture had more character then as it appeared, to me, to be slightly mischievous.

I also tried having the larger sculpture without the bell jar, but I was interested in getting feedback from people about the effect that the bell jar has on their reading of the work. 

              

Zing install process

I realise that during the Snippet installation week, I was so busy that I never shared images of the experimental process of creating Zing.

These images show the decisions I made and how Zing came into being.

Testing install options

With a week to go before the preview of the MFA and Culture Lab exhibition next Tuesday evening, today I began to move some models into the gallery. My casts are extremely heavy and require two people to lift them, so I have been using the moulds and scale cardboard models to give me an idea of how the forms work in the gallery space.

Of course, the exhibition is a group exhibition, and so the reading of the work will change in relation to what else is shown. I am very conscious that the space could easily become overcrowded, and so it will be a careful balance.

SNIPPET - Preview: Tuesday 24th February 2015, 6-8pm, Fine Art Department, Newcastle University

A fragment. A glimpse. A squint to unveil the work of artists exploring painting, sculpture, textiles, sound and video. Geometric colourful shapes along with abstract moving images and experimental sculpture are brought together in SNIPPET.

Human emotions are expressed through subtle images creating an immersive environment. The works shown are manifested from the tensions between painting and sculpture, society and technology.

Artists: Mirela Bistran, Jodie Dunnill, Li Qingchan, Bartira Sena, Helen Shaddock, Yein Son, Liying Zhao, Tan Zou.

PREVIEW: Tuesday 24th February, 2015 6 - 8pm  
25th - 27th February 9am - 5pm 
Long Gallery, Project room, Tic Space. 
Fine Art Department. School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University 
Newcastle upon Tyne. NE1 7RU.

SNIPPET - Preview: Tuesday 24th February 2015, 6-8pm, Fine Art Department, Newcastle University

PREVIEW: Tuesday 24th February, 2015 6 - 8pm  
25th - 27th February 9am - 5pm 
Long Gallery, Project room, Tic Space. 
Fine Art Department. School of Arts and Cultures, Newcastle University 
Newcastle upon Tyne. NE1 7RU.