THE RESIDENCE GALLERY

THE RESIDENCE GALLERY

229 Victoria Park Road

London E9 7HD

Interview - Part 2

The second and final instalment of our interview with Alexander Heaton is here, in which we delve a little deeper into his reasoning behind ‘Project Thin Air’.

Why did you decide to use a panoramic composition to represent your piece as opposed to selected details?

I wanted to create as immersive an experience as possible in the confines of the residence gallery, so the panorama suits this best i feel.

Recent tragic events have obviously added and unexpected significance, has this changed how you perceive the work? If so, how?

Yes greatly, its made me realise how lucky I was to complete such a big expedition without hazard. It has also made me appreciate the kindness and selflessness of the the Nepali people who assisted me in my artistic pursuit which is really not important in the grand scheme of things compared to what they have been forced to endure. I feel the works inner idea is about hope for the future and this is even more relevant given the position Nepal as a country is in now. Initially the painting was about my hopes and dreams, but hopefully some people may see it in the context of hope for a wider community of people we must try to help through whatever means we can.

You mention the fact that you've actually ‘manufactured’ your own paint, can you tell us a bit more about that?

We are also selling these 'Woggle Bracelets' made from climbing rope which was kindly donated by Arthur Beale Ltd. and made by Alexander himself.

Interview - Part 1

We recently got in touch with Alexander himself personally to delve a little deeper into his reasoning behind ‘Project Thin Air’. This two part series will delve into his inspirations, techniques and thoughts on recent events that have given this work an unexpected significance.

You consider the logistical implications of creating art within this extreme environment, but was there a personal reason beyond the journey? Why Nepal?

Nepal is a country i have always dreamed of visiting ever since my father showed me his photographic slides of his expeditions there in the 70's and 80's. He was looking for rare alpine flowers and leading other mountaineers to the Annapurna sanctuary. I wanted to step into his pictures and walk into those unknown valleys. Also, much of the philosophical thought I have read and researched has its roots in the Himalayas. For example books like Lost Horizon describe the the mythic kingdom of Shangri-La and its implications to to our western civilisation which is often so in opposition to a more humane, quiet and reflective existence.            

Was there a deeper reason as to why you were eager to represent something quite metaphysical within the works visual approach? The tough conditions could encourage an artist to envision these scenes within an almost surrealist mindset.

Much of my past work has had surrealist and talismanic symbolism mixed into my visual language of landscape. For this body of work I didn't want to present anything too mystical that may not translate well to the viewer. I was more interested in truthful depiction of my surroundings in an existential way. As for me the real fantastic thing about these frozen worlds is actually how they are, and in turn how they force you to be when your within them. Your not left much room to negotiate and I like that, as you know where you can stand both literally and in your ideas.

What were your reference points? What tools did you work with? Did you work from details or say, single image references?

In light of recent events, Alexander is also auctioning off one of his previous works with proceeds going directly to the Nepal Disaster Fund. 

In a weeks time, The Residence Gallery will be hosting the private view event for Alexander Heaton's upcoming solo show entitled 'Project Thin Air', a body of work consisting of paintings which document Heaton's previous climb in the Khumbu region of eastern Nepal.

Take a look at our flyer below for more information, and a brief excerpt of the press release.

"In all my work I am interested in following a very simple system which is devised prior to execution and cannot be deviated from during the course of production." - Ben Gooding

Ben Gooding

The Determined Line

7th March - 19th April 2015

This weekend marks the final few days to witness ‘The Determined Line’, a solo show by artist Ben Gooding.

The decisive nature of Gooding’s approach dictates exquisite compositions of lines spanning screen prints, graphite drawings, Perspex, copper and aluminium. His screen prints are each unique, made by repeating a series of identical parallel lines in a rotational superimposition. Built up layer upon layer, these images are formed with highly transparent ink. Each movement pivots around a specific point that changes for each work. Similarly, Gooding’s Perspex works combine multiple layers of repeated linear movements, each successive layer twisting and spinning relative to those preceding it. The shift that the lines produce, occur in a recessive depth that further pushes a drawn action into a sculptural domain. For the metal works, the lines are hand scored with a needle one at a time and this is repeated for as many times as is required in order to fill the surface. This creates compositional structures that react to the movements of a viewer.

This is the first time Gooding will exhibit his Perspex and metallic “scorings” with printed works in one scenario. This solo show is the second in a series of exhibitions curated by Director Ingrid Z to celebrate The Residence Gallery’s 10th year anniversary.

More information can be found by clicking here.

Catalogues which feature images of the works on display plus an exclusive conversation between Gooding himself and artist/curator Caroline Jane Harris are on sale at the gallery for £3.

The Residence Gallery, 229 Victoria Park Road, London E9 7HD

Opening Times

Wednesday - Saturday, 11am - 6pm

Sunday 12 - 6pm

Nearest tube: Mile End, Bethnal Green Bus: 277, 425, 388 Rail: Cambridge Heath, London Fields More Information www.residence-gallery.com / [email protected]

Press Enquiries: [email protected]

ARTIST TALK: Darren Coffield in Conversation with Mark Kalderon

DARREN COFFIELD:

PSYCHO

1 November - 24 December, 2014

PV 31 October, 7pm - 9:30pm

RSVP [email protected]

THE RESIDENCE GALLERY

229 Victoria Park Road, London, E9 7HD

www.residence-gallery.com

“Darren Coffield’s Paradox Portraits are a superb product of art and science at its most exciting. Not only are they aesthetically pleasing and in themselves, works of art, but they excite the mind with what can be perceived, in social psychology terms as a manipulation of perception.”– Dr. Henrietta Bowden-Jones, MRCPsych, BA(Hons), DOccMed, MD(Imperial), Government Advisor and Consultant Psychiatrist.

Psycho

a) A psychotic, someone suffering from a form of psychosis

b) Alfred Hitchcock’s horror masterpiece psycho (1960) accredited with signifying the birth of the slasher movie.

c) A psychobilly, someone affiliated with psychobilly culture, fashion and music

The Residence gallery is proud to present Darren Coffield’s Psycho. These are artworks with a psychological twist, literally, as eyes are set in chins and mouths hover under the brows.

Using Alfred Hitchcock and his masterpiece as a starting point, the pictures and ceramics explore the themes of celebrity, identity, representational function and perception. These works subvert the viewer’s instinctive faculties for reading human features to create some of the most stimulating portraits of recent years. There is a paradox and psychological trigger as the viewer struggles for a brief second to interpret the information that an inverted face relays to the brain, prompting a personal reassessment of one of the most basic and instinctive human reflexes: the ability to read another human face. The portraits eschew the duality and paradox of the human condition.

These are paradox portraits…

READ MORE:

MIKE BALLARD: ADVERTISING THE INVISIBLE 22 November - 29 December, 2013.

Private View: 22/11/13, 6PM-9PM (Guest List Only) RSVP by emailing your request to: [email protected]

Time Out First Thursdays Evening View: 5/12/13 7PM-9PM

Beyond Ultra in association with The Hackney Snare Drum Awareness Program presents Mike Ballard’s solo exhibition Advertising the Invisible, at The Residence Gallery. Featuring a series of audio scores and incidental music for unmade fictional films, the installation includes props, production stills, set design, graphical scores and more. Music is presented by The Aerosol Orchestra, Sollomans Stash, The Clapton Rifles and Long Range Desert Group.

The exhibition presents starting points for the viewer to draw their own story, and conclusion, much as an archaeologist might envisage an ancient dwelling and a whole way of life associated with it, allowing us in principle to trace latent narratives underlying manifest fragments.

Ballard articulates the show “to play on the associations with sound and image and how the sounds affect our notions of action and intrigue.”

In 1986 at the age of 14, Mike Ballard broke into his art career as the graffiti artist ‘CEPT’. His work quickly gained notoriety on the streets of East London, defined by his unique mix of letterforms, loud exaggerated colours and pop art appropriated super humans painted across walls and shop fronts. For over 20 years Ballard/CEPT has been disrupting perceptions of the urban landscape with snippets of beat-sampling visual codes rewired from pop art history, comics, hip hop music, explosions and clouds.

In 2007 Mike Ballard graduated from St. Martins art School with an MA in fine art. Now working from his studio in London he continues to exhibit regularly, specialising in creating immersive installations. Ballard's paintings, and painting components of his constructed environments are not about surface or the physicality of mark-making, but are windows into other spaces that destabilize our sense of place. Using a range of media, Ballard aims to challenge our ideas of hierarchy associated with image, object and sound.

THE RESIDENCE GALLERY

229 VICTORIA PARK ROAD, LONDON, E9 7HD

ROBERT HAWKINS: POWER OVER NATURE SUITE 18 October - 17 November Private View: 18/10/13, 7PM-10PM

DARYL BROWN: BREAKBUILDING 6 September - 13 October Private View: 6/9/13, 7PM-9:30PM (Invite Only) Time Out First Thursdays: 3/10/13 7PM-9PM