An evening of events responding to our current exhibition Uncertain Ruins and the context of Swiss Cottage Library – with artists Joe Banks, Paula Smolarksa and launch of Camden Alive window commission by Mary Yacoob.
Thu 5 Dec, 6–8pm. Address: Swiss Cottage Gallery (inside Swiss Cottage Library), 88 Avenue Road, London, NW3 3HA
6PM MARY YACOOB: WINDOW COMMISSION LAUNCH – FOYER Following a creative workshop held at the library in November, Mary Yacoob has produced artworks for the library’s entrance windows. Linking to themes present in both Uncertain Ruins and Camden Alive programme she has explored the influence of technology and the machine aesthetic in the design of Modernist social housing in the borough of Camden such as The Brunswick and the nearby Alexandra Estate. Part of Camden Alive. Please see www.lovecamden.org/camdenalive for more information.
6.45 PM JOE BANKS: TALK + READING – GALLERY Artist and researcher Joe Banks presents a brief discussion of ideas explored in the exhibition Language [as] Meta-Technology by Disinformation, that explored ideas of language and (auditory and visual) semiotics, in part expressing these ideas through the medium of voice synthesis – the artificial production of human speech. Joe will also read selections from historical and fictional sources, which explore aspects of language in relation to architecture, experienced from alternately prosaic and fantastical perspectives.
7.30 PM PAULA SMOLARSKA: TALK + READING – GALLERY Smolarska’s work is interested in the interface of the body and the built environment. At the heart of her research lies the idea proposed by the philosopher Gaston Bachelard that dwellings are shelters for daydreaming. Here, imagination completes tactile and visual knowledge. For Uncertain Ruins Smolarska will present a small sculptural piece made from concrete – a core material of Swiss Cottage Library – materially referencing Modernist architecture and her personal connection to it. This will be accompanied by a short reading.
Disinformation is an electronic music, installation art and research project, which has been described by The Guardian newspaper as producing ‘some of the most beautiful installations around’. Disinformation presented Language [as] Meta-Technology – the first Passen-gers offsite exhibition at Sluice HQ, Hackney, Nov 2018. Disinformation producer Joe Banks is a former AHRC sponsored researcher at Goldsmiths College and the University of Westminster, and is author of the critically successful research monograph Rorschach Audio – Art & Illusion for Sound produced by Strange Attractor Press. rorschachaudio.com
Paula Smolarska (b.1983, Warsaw, Poland) is a London-based artist working across sculpture and installation. She holds an MA in Sculpture from RCA (2017). Her degree show piece was shortlisted by Robin Klassnik for Matt’s Gallery/David Troostwyk Studio Award. Recent exhibitions and presentations include VR Days, Amsterdam, Degree Show RCA, Camden Art Centre (all 2017), Passengers (solo), Edinburgh College of Art, Art Dubai, UEA (all 2016), Art Licks Weekend (2017, 2016 and 2015 with Julie F Hill, Evy Jokhova and Mark Siebert). Residencies include Florence Trust Residency (2014) and Hospitalfield, PARC with Pangaea Sculptors’ Centre (both 2018). www.paulasmolarska.com
Mary Yacoob’s practice encompasses pen and ink on paper, printmaking, wall drawings, and vinyl floor works. She appropriates visual languages from architectural plans, maps, geological and engineering diagrams, alphabets and musical notation. She is interested in how enlarging a diagram, drawing it and taking it out of context can create visual connections, transforming a functional aid into something mysterious, architectural, spatial or monumental. The hand-made gesture, intricacy, repetition, rhythm, and systems employing order and chance, are all key aspects of her work. Yacoob is based in London and studied at Central Saint Martins and Cass School of Fine Art. Solo exhibitions include the Hospital Club, The Centre for Recent Drawing and Seven Seven Gallery. Group shows include Platform A, Gallery 46, PayneShurvell, Guest Projects, Saturation Point, Dark Matter, Galerie8 and OVADA. Residencies include Mutton Fist Press in 2019 and the AA2A residency at Camberwell College of Art print department in 2011. www.mary-yacoob.com
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Uncertain Ruins continues at Swiss Cottage Gallery until 10 Jan 2020. Opening hours: Mon–Thu: 10–8, Fri–Sat: 10–5, Sunday: closed.
Uncertain Ruins a site-responsive exhibition by artist Julie F Hill and Gauld Architecture that draws on the social, material and historical context of the Swiss Cottage Library in which the gallery is located. Monumental sculptures, video and photographic works respond to this context and have been made using a mix of artificial intelligence algorithms trained on astronomical datasets and related holdings from Swiss Cottage Library to consider the library’s potential as a container for all knowledge. More information www.passen-gers.co.uk/uncertainruins
Passengers is a site-specific exhibition series that explores the historical, social and material contexts of various sites and architecture. This initiative was formed in 2016 by artist Julie F Hill in collaboration with the architectural practice Gauld Architecture. The series aims to promote dialogue between art and architecture, exploring the contemporary built environment. For its inaugural series, supported by Arts Council England, artists presented work sequentially to explore the real and imaginative associations of the Brunswick Centre, a Modernist, mixed residential and commercial development in Bloomsbury, London. The project has since expanded to incorporate offsite exhibitions, residencies and publications. www.passen-gers.co.uk
Camden Alive is part of the Mayor’s London Borough of Culture and is a Mayor’s Cultural Impact Award winner. London Borough of Culture is a Mayor of London initiative with support from the City of London Corporation’s Charity, City Trust Bridge and Airbnb. www.lovecamden.org/camdenalive
