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British Art Since 1707

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Our project is focused on fusing the media of visual art and theatre, telling the story of the history of UK Art since 1707. We intend to create an installation that transforms the space of the Humanities Studio for a day, inspired by the work of Matti Braun, Mark Fell and Marvin Gaye Chetwin. This will be combined with small snatches of performance during the day, with performers also altering the space throughout the installation to represent the changing styles of art from 1707 to the present day. The installation will culminate in a performance lasting approximately an hour at the end of the day. The adjustments during the day will reflect the different styles non-literally, taking inspiration from some of the elements of the styles. We will also occasionally recreate certain paintings from this history but these paintings won’t always be obvious immediately. The whole day of the installation will be recorded and the captured footage used to backdrop the performance at the end. Using perspective, the camera will show things that won't always be obvious in the room, revealing paintings that were not obvious when viewed in 3D (using the kinds of optical illusions seen in these images and this video).

The performance itself will show the development through artistic movements – in time with the movements shown on the film and interacting with it. Much like the way the different movements will be shown in the installation, the performance will display them in a non-literal, allegorical way. Actors will nominally play the same characters throughout but the notion of character will be loose, at points they may be representing concepts (for example two characters arguing to represent the conflict between tradition and innovation), specific events which took place in the lives of artists, or different styles.

People involved:

  • Lilith Wozniak (Theatre and Performance Studies) and Tommy Loftus (History of Art) - Co-Directors
  • Lucie Walker (History of Art) - Writer
  • Izzie Mayhew (History of Art) - Designer

Exhibition and performance

Held on Sun 18 June 2017 in the Humanities Studio
Exhibition drop-in: 12:00-19:30
Performance: 19:30

For more info, see the:
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