Cathy's Art Diary

Atmospheric installation at Fabrica in Brighton by Olafur Eliasson. First created for a gallery in New York in 1998 this work is part of the Towner Collection in Eastbourne and usually shown in white spaces. It seems to be one of those works where owning means you own the concept and idea but it seems to be made anew for each space it is shown in. It consists of over 3000 cut saplings and branches which Fabrica sourced from a local wood and the end of the show it will be chipped and used as mulch for new teams at the local Stanmer Park. I didn’t realise that at the time and, by coincidence, we walked round Stanmer Park the next day. It consists of enclosed pathways and you can choose your route through. I loved the way the light filtered through the branches and the contrast between the natural materials and the old stone floor. The sensation was a bit claustrophobic though and I was pleased the pathways were quite short. Closes 20 June 2020

Striking exhibition at Fabrica in Brighton of a new installation by Ghanaian artists Serge Attukwei Clottey. The space was full of a tapestry made from pieces from yellow jerry cans used in Ghana to import cooking oil but then repurposed as water carriers. This practice is not just unhealthily but is adding to the countries the regions plastic waste problem. I love the fact the work is not just on the wall but is draped across the floor and you walk on it as it crunches under your feet. It was a clever way to make you think about the issues involved. Closes 27 May 2019

Small exhibition at Fabrica in Brighton of pictures taken by Harley Weir photographs made over a ten-day period in October 2016 in the migrant and refugee camps of Calais, known informally as the Jungle, as they were dismantled. The pictures were shown as an installation with the works printed on gauze and hung round this beautiful former chapel. They focus on the detail of everyday life and the possessions of those being moved rather than the destruction itself. I thought the pictures would have worked better in a more traditional exhibition with more commentary on the works, the images got a bit lost in the big space and the printing on gauze gave them a rather ethereal felling so you looked at the effect rather than the image. The pictures were too important not to be looked at. The show was part of the Brighton Photo Biennial 2018.  Closes on 25 November 2018

Confusing installation at Fabrica in Brighton by Ipek Duben. The show consisted of a very dark space filled with life sized videos of people talking about their experiences of difference in Turkish society. I was partly confused by the dark. It was actually quite hard to walk around and see people in the space. I found it quite disorientating. I also found it hard to find the right place to stand to hear the soundtracks particularly as one soundtrack rather dominated so it was hard to hear the others against it. The soundtracks were also quite long and I didn’t have the time to give to the show properly. I added to my confusion as I went in through the wrong door. If you are going enter by the Duke Street entrance then at least you get a chance to read the explanation of the show rather than being plunged into dark confusion with no idea what the focus was. I will say though that the life sized videos looked really impressive in the dark space and it felt like the peo...

Illuminating exhibition at Fabrica in Brighton of light works by Ron Haselden as part of the Brighton Festival and apologies for the pun! These were large neon light sculptures in a dark interior based on drawings by older people., According to the commentary the idea was that the art work emits light and that that older people bring important knowledge and perspective to society. I must admit I didn’t grasp that at the time but I liked the work. The separate works were put together into a large cube shaped installation and your view of it changed as you walked round it. I loved a roughly draw dog, a big man’s head then a strange rabbit in a bow tie. Closed 29 May 2016  

A lovely installation at Fabrica as part of the Brighton Festival by Marcus Coates. This consisted of a multi-screen film installation showing people sitting in their own surroundings, on a bed, in a car, at a desk, with the sound of bird song all around you. As you look at the people they are apparently singing in turn. It had a rather calming effect with the lovely sound and these quite still people. When   you read the commentary you also realised that the bird song was actually the voices of the people in the film and they were mimicking the sound of a bird and in some cases the movement. He recorded bird song, slowed it down to simulate human tones, recorded people mimicking that sound and then speeding that human recording back up to the speed of the birds. It created a sound that was, to my city ear, the same as the bird song. The whole thing gave an impression of morning routines both of the birds via the idea of the dawn chorus and of the people. The hand...

Disappointing installation at Fabrica as part of the Brighton Festival by Jacob Dahlgren. This was a wonderfully colourful show and I liked the effect of the chequer board of brightly coloured bathroom scales but I’m not sure it said anything to me.   Also the frame of hanging ribbons which you could walk through looked nice but that was it. Reading the blurb again it says it is about the sensual pleasure of the material world but I got more sense of that from the three excellent macaroons I ate further down the road. Sorry Fabrica I usually love your shows but this one fell a bit flat for me.

An installation at Fabrica in Brighton by Kaarina Kaikkonen which consists of hundreds of shirts arranged in a great semi circle giving a rainbow effect. I loved this. According to the blurb this work is investigating the colour blue, which did not appear in European art until the 12th century, and its association with religion and modern culture eg blue blood, blood jeans. I liked the fact it was such a large striking work and yet you could walk round it, and I guess through it although no-one was brave enough when I was there. As you walked round the individual pieces became more evident as shirts and it made you wonder where they had come from who had worn them etc. During the Brighton Festival there will be two artists in residence at the gallery, an artist and a musician, will be reinterpreting the work.

Fabulous installation piece at the Fabrica Gallery in Brighton by Janet Cardiff. It was part of the Brighton Festival and involved 40 speakers each playing one of the parts in Spem in Alium, a motel for 40 voices by Thomas Tallis. This was such a magical experience. The first time it played through when I was there I just sat and listened with my eyes shut to the amazing blend of sound. It was so relaxing. The next 2 times I walked round listening to the individuals voices and delighted in how different speakers came in an out of the arrangement. It was wonderful to hear a voice to come in unexpectedly behind you. I also liked the fact that the talk before the performance was recorded too so as you walked round you heard quiet snippets of conversation. As I sing in a choir I recognised the conversation as true choir speak!