Group Exhibitions
February 6th - 10th 2008:
Offsite: Inside’. Newlyn Art Gallery. This group exhibition, curated by Sara Bowler artist and business fellowe at U.C.F, consisted of artists working with site specific environments and contexts. ‘Offsite: Inside’ explored whether one can resolve the act of presenting site-specific work in unrelated surroundings and how critical writing, is brought to bear on temporary, time-based and ephemeral work, conceived and delivered outside the gallery and agency system. In the gallery I used a looped 60 min video work that recorded the ring barking of a tree and an installation of the bark that was removed during this process. At the end of the show I concluded with an interpretational on-site guided walk as an exploration into whether this is possible.
An article written by art critic Paul Glinkowski can be found on the links below:
http://www.engineroomcogs.org/component/option,com_docman/task,doc_download/gid,16/Itemid,44/
November 2007:
‘What happened when an artist came to our farm!’ (Film, 15min) shown at ‘Screen Actions’ - the young film makers part of Cornwall Film Festival, Princess Pavilion, Falmouth. This was a collaborative video film by young children about their involvement with the CUT/STACK/BURN project on their farm.
July 29th– 8th August 2007:
‘Research/Record/Remake’. Part of ‘MORE Cornwall’ - artist led projects throughout the summer of 2007. ‘R/R/R’ explored cultural activity in the landscape and focussed on graffiti's potential to enhance the sociological context and interpretation of a historic site. The focus of this non physical intervention was on a collection of political graffiti (circa 1980) to be found at mine workings on the cliffs at Botallack West Penwith, Cornwall - a part of the Cornish Mining World Heritage site. Working from an archaeological and socio-historical perspective the project adopted a non-invasive approach to recording and rediscovering disappearing graffiti and concluded with a presentation of the visual research through a display of documentary photographs, site specific projections, maps, guided walks and a series of remade digital images of the graffiti in situ.
http://www.researchrecordremake.blogspot.com/
March 26th – 24th May 2005:
‘Risk’ – Creative Action in Political Culture. I exhibited 140 poster works for ‘The Self Regulating Poster Wall’. A part of the wider ‘Risk’ exhibition at the CCA, Glasgow.
February 5th - 19th 2005:‘Voicing dissent’ – Responses to the war in Iraq by artists working in Cornwall, Falmouth Arts Centre.
Solo exhibitions/events
November 2008 - ‘Let’s Play Records!’ event for ‘Festival of the Arts in Newlyn’
July 2008 –
Lafrowda Music Festival – As ‘DJ Deafened’ (artist DJ in residence) during the festival I organised the first ‘Lafrowda Festival Fringe’. For part of this month long residency involved 2 performative art and social events using the vinyl only ‘Let’s Play Records!’’ resources, afore runner of ‘B.Y.O Disco!’. These events focussed on audience participation and collaboration to broaden the concept of what contemporary art can be and where it can be staged. The events structure was based on the traditional community group benefit event for raising funds and the profile of the festival. I also created a large willow sculpture of a gramophone after the iconic ‘His Masters Voice’ painting, used as a logo by EMI, complete with ‘Nipper’ the dog, for the festival procession.
January 30th – 3rd February 2008:
‘Transition: Curators edition - ‘LET’S PLAY RECORDS!’ Newlyn Art Gallery.
LPR!’ was an opportunity to explore the role of artist-curator and use it as chance to discuss issues of accessibility in contemporary art. The playing of records was adopted by as a platform for its once universal popularity, proven accessibility and its potential as a social hub and creative platform. From the music to the cover art, to the events, social scenes and movements they inspired, vinyl records have over the last 100 years made a significant impression on our cultural and social activities. Further to this was a desire to explore more peripheral elements of my art practice such as the influence records had to play on my early development as an artist. ‘LPR!’ set out to investigate a concept of ‘universal accessibility’ for the staging of contemporary art through the exploration of diverse platforms of presentation and performance. Through the playing of records and other interactive events, ‘LPR!’ sought ways of removing potential barriers that may exist between contemporary art audiences, artists and their work by creating live events that encouraged hands on participation and active co-curatorial collaboration. ‘LPR!’ served as an impartial, open ended enquiry that raised issues with the way contemporary art is delivered to and interpreted by audiences. The format created by ‘LPR!’ - which loosely resembled an old style record shop - became a study of the practicalities of achieving an all encompassing formula of accessibility – a potential ‘holy grail’ - and whether this is attainable or indeed desirable.
http://www.letsplayrecords.co.uk
February 1st – 25th March 2007:
‘CUT/STACK/BURN’
‘CUT/STACK/BURN’ was a performative site specific re-enactment of a redundant rural activity (in this case furze or gorse cutting) that used art installation as a platform to develop a visual conversation about the absence of sustainable approaches in the management of the landscape and its resources in an age of climate change. The adoption of ancient and traditional cutting and gathering processes made use of and became part of existing cycles of heath land management being operated at two different heaths on the Lizard and West Penwith, Cornwall. This performative durational project, involving a diverse cross section of the rural community, culminated in a large scale, site specific installation at Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens near Penzance where it was purposefully destroyed by fire at a public event on its completion. CUT/STACK/BURN was funded by the Arts Council in conjunction with the HEATH project and supported by the National Trust and Tremenheere Sculpture Gardens.
http://www.cut-stack-burn.blogspot.com
http://www.artcornwall.org/exhibition%20bruce%20davies.htm
http://youtube.com/cutstackburn
October 4th – 18th 2007:
HAPPIDROME TWO – ‘FILM/PHOTO/ARTEFACT’
(The Happidrome is a WWII ex radio communications bunker situated on the Goonhilly downs nature reserve Lizard, Cornwall and is managed by Natural England. This was the 2nd exhibition to take place in this artist led space)
The presentation of the CUT/STACK/BURN archive developed out of an invitation to participate in the HEATH projects ‘Heath Fest’. The wide ranging events of the Heath Fest were intended to promote the value and uses of heath land. This made it possible to present the CUT/STACK/BURN project archive and present new work in a relevant site specific context. This context helped to further underline the links between the CUT/STACK/BURN project, the landscape, our activities within it and the work of the conservation organisations and the communities involved. During the exhibition a catalogue of films that recorded the progress and demise of the CUT/STACK/BURN project were shown as part of a rolling programme. A collection of artefacts and new installations generated by the CUT/STACK/BURN (blogs/film/photography/found objects/artefacts from the burn itself) and the peripheral activity surrounding its construction, destruction and aftermath were also on display. The importance of the archive material and its inclusion in this presentation was, in part, an attempt to highlight the relevance of unseen research activity generated as a consequence of the visual work itself.
This exhibition was supported by the National Trust in conjunction with Natural England.
http://www.happidrome.org.uk/HPD2/index.php
Other up coming events/exhibitions
14th January - 14th March 2009 – ‘The New Landscape’ will bring together artists working in Cornwall who have, in different ways, been inspired by the landscape. One of the distinctive features of art made in Cornwall over a number of generations has been its relationship to the landscape. In recent years in Cornwall artistic representations of the landscape have taken a large number of forms beyond traditional painting. Increasingly, newer media, like video and digital photography, have become important, often as a way of documenting interventions or performances in the landscape. This exhibition will show a wide variety of work in a range of media, which all share a relationship with the Cornish landscape.
http://www.royalcornwallmuseum.org.uk/exhibitions/new-landscape.htm