EC Davies A stitch in time
13 April – 18 May 2013, Vane Gallery, Newcastle
Preview: Friday 12 April 5:30-7:30pm
Gallery hours: Wed – Sat 12-5pm
In ‘A stitch in time’, EC Davies shows a selection of new works including video, animation, print, photographs & sewn objects. Davies works with images of herself and found objects that reflect and communicate aspects of her thought processes through the act of making.
Davies creates a selection of characters using her self as the prototype, each of whom performs different functions within an imaginary space. The characters have specific roles within her practice. They can be obsessive in their pursuits, some of which include sewing and cleaning. They hoard found objects: fabric remnants, fortune cookies and voice recordings from films, and transform them into works of art. Her characters come from another realm, they follow no fashion rules, but are highly stylised. They wear an array of playfully designed balaclavas and dresses. Davies documents these characters in a mock anthropological fashion, filming them, naming them and characterising them.
‘A stitch in time’ explores universal themes of love and loss – sometimes playful, celebrating life; sometimes melancholic, echoing feelings of loss and the desire to claw back what once was.
EC Davies was born in St Helens, UK, in 1970 and lives between Durham, UK, and Berlin, Germany. She attended John Moores University, Liverpool (1993-96) and Northumbria University, Newcastle upon Tyne (1999-2001). ‘A stitch in time’ is her second solo exhibition for Vane following ‘Flatland’ (2006). Her recent solo exhibition, ‘Neverland’, was at Secondhome Projects, Berlin, Germany (2012). Group exhibitions include ‘Luminous Language’, Launch F18, New York, USA (2013), ‘A room inside them’, Vane, ‘The New Omega Workshops’, September, Berlin, Germany (2009), ‘Permission to stay’, Globe Gallery, Newcastle upon Tyne (2008), ‘Disorient’, HIT Gallery, Bratislava, Slovakia, ‘Borealis’, Flowers East Gallery, London, ‘IBCA International Biennale of Contemporary Art’, National Gallery in Prague, Czech Republic (2005).
Participatory events at Vane: Saturday 20 April and Saturday 4 May
EC Davies encourages audience participation in her work as a means of connecting with others and investigating ways of communicating shared experiences. The artist will be in the gallery on Saturday 20 April and Saturday 4 May, between 1pm and 4pm. Davies will invite audience members to take part in an art experience: participants will be photographed individually wearing a balaclava and holding a written statement, such as ‘love me’, ‘hear me’, etc. The photos will be shared online and become part of the ongoing series.
More information, click here.