Word Bank Somethingology, 2022, wood, steel, zinc plated wire, plastic, spider’s silk, dandelion seeds, gravity. The materials were added to during the installation and culminated in the performance Weaving Thoughts and Things on the 15th October in collaboration with poet Taylor McGraa.
Roll up, roll up…
Imagine a troupe of artists occupying a space, not under a big top but in a circus, nonetheless . . .
An arena to perform, practice, construct and create a spectacle.
Imagine if this world was to be shared . . . on offer is a ringside view into the act of sowing, reaping and garnering.
Come and see if horses can gallop on walls and flowers can grow from carpets . .
Our troupe is a group of sculptors who for the last 12 months have been sharing practises through critical discussion, experimentation and intensive exchange. A group of 15 artists who have recognised that what we have in common is an understanding that comes through the haptic act of doing.
Pulling thematic inspiration from ‘Hard Times’ by Charles Dickens, we want to question, as Dickens did, ideas around inspiration, creation and wonder. In the novel, Dickens’ circus is a place for learning through experience; the skilled performers express feats of human endeavour, with each character being sensitive and responsive to their fellow players. As a group of artists we too would like to be mindful of our environment, our materials and each other.
For two weeks we are inhabiting a circus space in London’s Piccadilly. Sowing, reaping, garnering and through the transformative act of making, we will embrace the circus as a site of spectacle and unfettered fancy. Please join us in unravelling the uncertainties and contradictions held within our own fragile ‘Hard Times’ . . .
Tina Culverhouse 