The Lever, 2019
Open Space
Commissioned to invert the relationship between artist and viewer, The Lever turns artworks into props and the audience into performers.
‘Will Martin was invited to explore ideas of hospitality, hierarchy, ritual and belonging in a site-specific response to the Russian cultural centre Pushkin House, Bloomsbury Square. On Saturday 30th April 2019 he presented The Lever, a participatory photo shoot, in collaboration with photographer Charlotte Speechley.
This event aimed to invert the traditional hierarchy of viewership and rituals of dressing. Inspired by the intimate, yet public, morning dressing ritual of French monarchs, Martin’s ceramic and textile works were available for visitors to wear, creating a sense of performance and masquerade in the historic setting of Pushkin House. Along with the artist and photographer, participants directed the work, activating it in new and personal ways.’
Open Space
A traditional exhibition may in fact disempower both artist and audience through its rigid social constructs of viewing over participating. By bringing my artwork in as props for a narrative shoot, the guest is invited to become a performer, activating the artworks in new ways. The artworks linked to the architectural heritage of the building, critiquing neo-classicism and the values we have inherited from it regarding race, sex, sexuality, and personal responsibility.
‘Deriving its title from Albert Camus’s 1957 short story L'Hôte, which translates into both ‘the host’ and ‘the guest’, Of Hosts & Guests invites artists and audiences to play with the duality of playing both of these roles. The programme will unfold as a journey through spaces, asking how we can establish a sense of home and community in the face of contested borders and endangered notions of belonging. The program will run across three cultural venues in Bloomsbury, London: University College London (UCL), Mary Ward House and Pushkin House.’
Katherine Finerty
Open Space supports emerging creative practices
and promotes dialogue in the arts through an annual programme of projects in unexpected spaces.
Commissioned by: Open Space
Founder: Huma Kabakci
Curator: Katherine Finerty
Photographer: Charlotte Speechley
Venue: Pushkin House, Bloomsbury, London
Playlist: Patrick Smith
Artists: Adelaide Damoah, Nora Silva, Amartey Golding, Henry Hussey, Larry Amponsah, William Martin