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MARCH 2008 – Bluecoat Re-opens (Open daily between 10am and 6pm – 15th March and 4th May 2008

MARCH 2008 – “An all star cast including Jimmy Stewart, Jack Nicholson, Kim Novak and Donald Sutherland feature in re-run . . . well . . . sort of. This seven-minute film by Janet Hodgson presents a cast of Bluecoat staff and volunteers who take the place of famous actors in re-enactments of chase scenes from the past 100 years of feature film such as Vertigo, Don’t Look Now and The Shining, and cult classics like The Third Man and Breathless. Shot on location in the empty Bluecoat during construction, the changing backdrop is captured during various stages of building and refurbishment adding to the sense of uncertainty about time and place. Re-run is a disorienting film where reality and fiction collide, as Hodgson recreates the past in the present.

It is no mistake that Hodgson’s remake coincides with the Bluecoat being remade, nor her decision to string together an endless loop of characters moving from one time period to another always searching and looking but never actually finding . re run is both about cinemas ability to shape the way we see history but ultimately, an exercise in appreciation for the artist and camera crew - not just in recognising the genius of directors like Alfred Hitchcock or Jean-Luc Godard, but of acknowledging the complex process of filmmaking.

This is an artist looking at cinema, looking . In presenting the film as a 16mm loop Hodgson draws attention to the endless referential re doubling taking place . re-run highlights the difference through its mix of the amateur, by using volunteer actors, and the professional – the skills of the cameraman and post-production work, completed at Pinewood Studios”.

JUNE 2008 - As part of merging territories Phil Barber, Sarah-Jane Bellion, Sue Challis, Mark Essen, Janet Hodgson, Keir Williams Curated by Mona Casey
merging territories, Que Club, Central Hall,
Corporation Street,
Birmingham, B4 6QB
10th – 21st June 2008.
Preview Tuesday 10th June 6.30 – 8.00 pm.

Merging territories, presents a diverse selection of contemporary artist video and film. The exhibition looks at the work of artists who explore the boundaries between video and the mediums of cinema, television, painting and sound and the influence on video’s development as a result of these intersections.

Sue Challis is interested in issues of identity and marginalisation and in questioning ideas of truth within the medium of documentary and news broadcasts. For merging territories we are presented with an installation sited in two rooms. The projection shows a women being interviewed about her views on the Madeline McCann story. As the interview progresses we learn about her involvement in setting up a chat-room forum in support of the McCann’s and herviews and analyses of the Media’s part in the ongoing story. The work investigates the tension in the relationship between the Media and its story and the video maker and its subjects; exploring the issue of power struggles and control over those involved.

Sarah-Jane Bellion’s work incorporates her own and found texts which evoke mini fictional or non-fictional narratives. She makes painting and video works, which introduce the use of titlesasa protagonist, to suggest information about the object. In the video Black Square, Bellion, comments on the end of painting as promoted by Malevich in the 70’s and struggles to find some new territory for painting to inhabit. Phil Barber work explores the phenomenon of television and video and its ability to present illusion and simulate real–life experiences. Through screen and sculpture based installation, he investigates the nature of what is considered art and non-art, whilst also questioning the viewing experience, whether its television in an ‘at home’ situation or video in a gallery context. In Tank, Barber presents a multi-screen projection of seductive and colourful images of fish and sea-life as seen in sea-life and aquatic centres. As we look closer we see the reflections and presence of other viewers within the video.

Mark Essen’s Eternal Atlas, presents us with the mythological Atlas, the Titan, who was condemned to bearing the weight of the Heavens on his shoulders. This contemporary interpretationpokesat our societal Gods. What did Atlas stand for at the time of the Greeks? Furthermore, what could we learn from today’s media Gods.

An exploration of history, time and place are some of the concerns in Janet Hodgson’ work. Hodgson uses multi-media installation to investigate how history can be seen and understood. Re run was shot on location in the empty Bluecoat Gallery in Liverpool during the process of its recent re-construction. The film is made from a collage of re-enacted chase sequences taken from feature films and cult classics of the past 100 years. Re-run presents the cast of Bluecoat staff and a professional film crew as they attempt to re-enact the action of the original films. Her work interweaves cinematic history and filmic language to create a loop of suspense filled narrative in which every one is looking and searching but never arriving.

Keir Williams combines the body and technology to create innovative performances for video and video installation. William’s work often uses technology to mediate between performers and between a viewers encounter with the work. For merging territories Williams presents a video of MC and actor Pablo Rider reciting Methodisthymns by John Wesley mixed with reggae lyrics. The sound of the voice modulated into an infra-bass and played through a large sound system, makes the words he says indistinguishable. Taking into consideration the location of this work in a former Methodist building, Williams continues to question traditional approaches to the act of making art, sound and image.

Merging territories, Que Club, Central Hall,
Corporation Street,
Birmingham, B4 6QB

Opening Times: Monday - Saturday 10.00 am – 5 pm