Sequences - Exhibition (Q Arts)

20 August – 1 October 2005

A new exhibition featuring cutting edge cinematic technology as seen in The Matrix comes to Q Arts in Derby. Sequences is a new touring show produced by peterborough digital arts and curated by Paul St George exploring the world before and after cinema. Post-cinema and pre-cinema: the relationship between contemporary digital art and 19th Century optical devices has become more apparent. Sequences will show contemporary work that uses sequences of images to explore ideas of space, time, movement and duration. Marey and other chronophotographers first explored these ideas at the turn of the nineteenth century. 2004 marked the centenary of Marey’s death. In those 100 years chronophotography has been in the shadow of cinema, but now it is emerging once again in post cinema practices, digital art and new experimental photography. The best known example being ‘Bullet cam’ as used in The Matrix – whose original pioneer, Andrew Davidhazy, is amongst the artists showing work as part of the exhibition. In shotgun blast – a bullet is traced on its potent but poignant journey from gun to wall. In contrast, in Time Piece, by Tess Glanville, light pouring into the gallery is traced onto walls and floors with masking tape to mark the passage of time.

Louise Clements, Programme Manager at Q Arts says ‘Artists have found that sequences of images offer new opportunities for exploring the timeless issues such as subjectivity, the subject’s experience of time and space and the aesthetics that operate at the intersection of time and space. This is a fascinating exhibition which asks very important questions about the role of art and cinema in the world today.’

Alongside work - including three newly commissioned works - by 15 international artists will be shown historical works of chronophotography and some of the artefacts that produced the works. 2004 is the centenary of the death of Étienne-Jules Marey, one of the pioneers of chronophotography, and his works will be shown alongside works by his contemporaries; Louis and Auguste Lumiere, Muybridge and Reynaud. Works displayed will include Kaleidoscope, Kinetoscope, Magic Lantern, Mutoscope, Panorama, Phantasmagoria, Phenakistiscope, Praxinoscope, Stereoscopic Cameras, Thaumatrope, Zeotrope and Zoopraxinoscope.

New works specially commissioned for this exhibition are Tondo by Paul St George, Trådar by Pia Jönsson and Time piece by Tess Glanville. The other contemporary artists participating are: Andrea Polli (On the fly), Andrew Davidhazy (Shotgun blast), Tim Macmillan (Bath Half Marathon, Jump), Babel (Turnbaby), Björn Schulke (Deception), Simon Lewandowski (Mutoscope), Darren Almond (Border 1999), Patrick Tarrant (Brian), Rufus Butler Seder (Cat CineSpinner), Studiometis (Kyoto), David Crawford (Stop Motion), Martin Newth (Motel).

Alongside the exhibition two catalogues will be published, one of which will contain a series of academic essays, a companion website will be hosted at: www.pdarts.org.uk/sequences. It is intended that the project will stimulate debate on two key questions: firstly, can we gain insights into the use of sequential images in contemporary art by re-examining chronophotography and pre-cinema? Secondly, do we gain a better understanding of chronophotography and pre-cinema by re-assessing their histories from a current perspective?

For more information go to www.pdarts.org.uk or contact Q Arts