INDUSTRY: [The Lab Project Residency] @ Kingsgate Workshops, London

The Lab Project, curated by Test Bed

Supported by Kingsgate Workshops & Camden Arts Centre

25 July - 20 August 2015

Artists: Vivienne Du, Rose Pickles and Yen-Ting Cho

http://thelabproject.tumblr.com/

https://www.facebook.com/thelabproject15

A couple months ago, I was invited to take part in a residency revolving around the themes of Multisensory Perception & Synesthesia. The residency promoted an experimental ethos that would allow the artists to come to a final conclusion through a series of experimental stimuli.

For my first ever residency, it went really well. It was certainly challenging at times, as putting up an exhibition will never appear to go smoothly, but I always learn a lot from every one I do. The team who curated the show from Camden Arts Centre too were fantastic, I felt really supported every step of the way, and they were very enthusiastic about my ideas.

REVIEW: [Richard Serra] @ Gagosian Gallery, London

Richard Serra
Gagosian Gallery, Britannia Street, London
11 October 2014 - 4 March 2015

The Gagosian Gallery, London recently exhibited a few select works by the renowned sculptor Richard Serra, perhaps most recognisable for his large scale steel installations. This exhibition was no different as the gallery featured the following works 'Backdoor Pipeline', 'Ramble', 'Dead Load' and 'London Cross'.

As is often the case with Serra's work, the sheer scale and mass of his sculptures dominate the space as you pass through it. The presence of these enormous forms have a breathtaking exchange that is only experienced face to face. It is only with such an interaction that you truly acknowledge and embody the physical grounding of the material and scale that Serra tends to work in.

Ramble (2014) by Richard Serra. Photograph by Mike Bruce

Ramble (2014) consists of a room filled with rows of oblong shaped forms that vary in size but are generally large enough to match the average height of a visitor or tower a few inches above. This immediately creates an interesting synergy between the viewer and Serra's forms, as we are made to create an instant relationship between us and this series of sculpture. The layout of these objects feels maze-like and one is compelled to meander their way through the plane of steel blocks. The distance between the blocks in some places is just wide enough to accommodate, once again emphasising the scale of the work in direct relation to the viewer. As well as appreciating the scale of each of these forms, I often felt a desire to touch them and truly appreciate their materiality and surface. There is obviously a fascination Serra has with steel and his repeated use of this material focuses the viewer's attention on just how this material functions and presents itself.